McCarthy Demands 8% Spending Cut, Border Wall to Avert Shutdown

(Bloomberg) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced demands to hold off an Oct. 1 US government shutdown for a month, including an 8% temporary spending cut for domestic agencies and a resumption of border wall construction.

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McCarthy scheduled a call with all GOP lawmakers for 8 p.m. Sunday in Washington to present the plan after negotiators representing key factions within the House GOP settled on the demands to temporarily fund the government for 31 days. A vote on the bill released Sunday is planned for midweek.

The demands, which also include provisions curtailing the ability of migrants to claim asylum in the US, are anathema to most Democrats and aren’t likely to be accepted by the Democratic-led Senate. That means the bill doesn’t reduce the risk of a shutdown — given that the provisions are toxic to Senate Democrats.

The bill also doesn’t contain emergency Ukraine war funds or disaster aid requested by President Joe Biden’s administration.

But if McCarthy and the plan’s authors can unite Republicans behind the strategy, it would clear the way for the House to vote on a proposal for temporary funding. Efforts to pass funding measures have ground to a halt in the House amid clashes between GOP hardliners and moderates.

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