Spending cuts, border security and deadline extensions: The Republican proposal to avoid a government shutdown

With both parties trying to avoid a government shutdown in their own way, House Republicans put forward their proposal to dodge the situation. GOP leadership, led by Kevin McCarthy, drafted a plan that includes cutting spending, increasing border security and extending the deadline to pass legislation needed to fund the nation.

The main points try to appease the most conservative group of the caucus, which is known to have no problem opposing texts with which they disagree, and at the same time maintaining the votes of the rest of the Republicans.

The narrow majority that the Republican Party achieved in the 2022 midterm elections means that McCarthy can only afford to lose a few votes. So far, 12 GOP congressmen have already announced that they are thinking of voting against the proposal.

The plan was achieved after an agreement between the House Freedom Caucus and the Main Street Caucus, defined by their colleagues as the group of "pragmatic conservatives".

The Republican plan to avoid a government shutdown

The battle begins with extending the deadline to introduce legislation that would fund the federal government during fiscal year 2024. The new date would be pushed to the end of October, which would give Congress an extra month to negotiate an agreement, although it does not ensure that a closure will not take place on the first of November. Everything would be contingent on an agreement between Democrats and Republicans.

In addition, it would cut discretionary spending by 8 percent, understood as funding for federal agencies, although it would protect funds for defense, emergency relief and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Some, like Congressman Matt Rosendale (R-MT), disagree with the plan. "A CR is a continuation of Nancy Pelosi’s budget and Joe Biden’s policies. We were assured in January that we weren’t going to use the Democrats’ gimmicks to fund government and that we would deliver the 12 appropriations bills, thereby funding government responsibly and transparently, which is why I will be voting against the CR this week," he said.

Finally, the Republican bill includes most of the Border Security Act of 2023, one of the significant pieces of legislation by House Republicans. However, the new plan includes provisions requiring E-Verify. The legislation is still waiting for the Senate to take it up.