Shutdown odds grow amid GOP infighting

Published

2 years ago

June 15, 2023

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The decision by House Republicans to write spending bills below the caps established in this month’s bipartisan debt ceiling deal sets the stage for a clash with Democrats in the Senate and White House — and heightens the odds of a government shutdown later in the year.

The debt limit legislation, negotiated between President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), featured an agreement to set new top lines on discretionary spending over the next two fiscal years.

Yet McCarthy, under heavy pressure from his right flank, has since balked at those figures, arguing they’re not the target levels but merely represent a spending ceiling Congress cannot surpass. Behind Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, Republicans intend to mark up their 2024 spending bills at lower, 2022 levels, estimated to cut an additional $120 billion in federal outlays.

Those cuts are a non-starter with Democrats, whose support will be needed to pass the appropriations bills into law and prevent a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1.

The dynamics set Congress on a collision course in September over the size and scope of government spending — a debate complicated by the conservative threat for McCarthy to hold the party line on deficit reduction or face a challenge to his Speakership.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the House minority leader, has said Democrats will oppose anything less than the agreed-upon debt ceiling levels. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said the GOP’s strategy “all but guarantees a shutdown.” And Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, delivered a similar warning, saying House Republicans will never win Democratic support for their spending cuts, but they might very well succeed in shuttering the government.

“The Senate is going to mark up to the deal that was made. And so House Republicans are going to completely make themselves irrelevant [and] make their members vote on these deep, deep cuts, and it has no possibility of becoming law,” Aguilar told reporters Tuesday in the Capitol.

The conservative threat to McCarthy’s power, he added, has created a situation where the tail is wagging the dog.

“These are the deals that Kevin McCarthy has to make in order to hold the gavel,” he said.

Muddling the issue is a disagreement between McCarthy and his conservative detractors over the precise nature of the concessions he made in January as he struggled to win their support for his Speakership. The hard-liners maintain McCarthy promised to fight for 2022 spending levels in 2024 and to refuse votes on any proposal above that level.

“That was the agreement in January: that the Speaker would not put legislation on the floor that exceeded 2022 spending levels,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said Tuesday.

Yet McCarthy has disputed that account in no uncertain terms.

“We never promised we’re going to be all at ’22 levels. I said we would strive to get to the ’22 level, or the equivalent of that amount in cuts,” the Speaker said earlier in the month as he defended the debt ceiling deal from the conservative critics.

That legislation, dubbed the Financial Responsibility Act (FRA), included an incentive to Congress to pass all 12 regular appropriations bills in a timely manner. If the appropriations are not made by Jan. 1, then any continuing resolution (CR) would have to cap spending at 99 percent of current levels — a 1 percent across-the-board cut that would affect even military spending.

That threat is already spooking defense hawks, who are warning of the harm to national security in the age of great power competition, particularly with Russia and China. But a growing number of lawmakers appear increasingly resigned that a CR will be necessary, setting up yet another showdown between House Republicans and Senate Democrats.

“My guess is we’ll go ahead and pass the CR at the 99 percent level,” said Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.). “And then if there’s a shutdown, it’ll be the Senate that shuts it down.”

But the Jan. 1 sequester date leaves some uncertainty about what would happen when the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.

Some members of the House Appropriations Committee were already feeling the time crunch, and they now have even more pressure after Granger’s announcement on spending levels. Now, the House must quickly pass those bills, and the Democratic-controlled Senate — which is sure to reject the House GOP spending levels — will have to act.

“There is a prospect that we could be at an impasse come into September,” said Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), a subcommittee chairman on the House Appropriations

“This governing majority of ours doesn’t need to be toying around with shutting down the government,” Womack.

McCarthy has also said he will not bring up any omnibus legislation that combines appropriations into one large package, further complicating the timeline. Congress has not passed all 12 regular appropriations bills on time since 1996.

Many hard-line conservatives, for their part, say they’re not threatening to force a government shutdown to get the spending levels they want — at least not yet.

“We’re trying to get on the same team, Republicans, to focus on spending cuts. I don’t think anybody wants a shutdown. I sure don’t,” said Gaetz.

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), a more moderate member of the House Appropriations Committee, called discussion of a shutdown “a little premature.” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announces GOP presidential campaign Police foil alleged mass shooting threat hours before Stanley Cup final

Yet others are downplaying the severity of a shutdown, arguing the nation’s soaring debt poses an even greater threat to the nation’s economic well-being.

“I’m not worried about a shutdown,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said. “The country’s going to be permanently shut down if we don’t get our spending under control. And I’m tired of hearing, ‘We’ll do it tomorrow.’

“We’re gonna do it now. Or attempt to.”

US

‘We will treat them EXACTLY how we treated al Qaeda’ – US carries out another lethal strike in Caribbean

Published

8 mins ago

November 2, 2025

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'We will treat them EXACTLY how we treated al Qaeda' - US carries out another lethal strike in Caribbean

The US military has carried out a fresh strike on what it claims are drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea – as tensions with Venezuela remain high.

Secretary for War Pete Hegseth announced the strike on Saturday, claiming the vessel was operated by a US-designated terrorist organisation, but did not name which group was targeted.

He said three people were killed.

“This vessel – like EVERY OTHER – was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” he said.

It’s at least the 15th strike by the US in the Caribbean or eastern Pacific since early September – operations that Venezuela has said amount to murder and whose legal justification is unclear.

At least 64 people have now been killed in the strikes.

The rhetoric coming out of the White House, coupled with the presence of American military ships in the region, has raised questions about a possible armed conflict between the US and Venezuela.

American politicians have repeatedly demanded more information from the Trump administration about the legal basis for the strikes, as well as more details about the cartels they have allegedly targeted.

“These narco-terrorists are bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans at home – and they will not succeed,” Mr Hegseth said on Saturday.

“The Department will treat them EXACTLY how we treated Al-Qaeda. We will continue to track them, map them, hunt them, and kill them.”

President Donald Trump has accused Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro of leading an organised crime gang – without providing evidence – and declined to answer when questioned if the CIA has the authority to assassinate him.

In return, the Venezuelan leader has accused Mr Trump of seeking regime change and of “fabricating a new eternal war” against his country, as he appealed to the American people for peace.

A number of US navy vessels are in the region and the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier – the largest warship in the world – is also moving closer to Venezuela as speculation persists about possible further military action.

UK

‘They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed’: Eyewitness recalls horror attack on high-speed train

Published

8 mins ago

November 2, 2025

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'They've got a knife, I've been stabbed': Eyewitness recalls horror attack on high-speed train

A passenger who witnessed a mass stabbing on board a high-speed train heading for London told Sky News he heard someone yelling: “They’ve got a knife. I’ve been stabbed.”

The witness, who gave his name as Gavin, said there were “extremely bloodied” people and police shouting “get down, get down!” as passengers scrambled to leave the train.

Ten people were taken to hospital – nine with life-threatening injuries – after the incident on the 6.25pm LNER train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday.

Two people have been arrested and counter-terrorism police have been called in to join the investigation.

Sky News correspondent Gurpreet Narwan at the scene said some of the first-hand accounts were “quite terrifying”.

“We are hearing about people trampling over each other. We are hearing about passengers hiding in the toilets,” she said.

Gavin said: “The armed police were pointing to the suspect as we came off the train.

“Police were shouting ‘get down, get down’!

“He (a suspect) was waving quite a large knife. They detained him. I think it was a Taser that got him down in the end.”

Emergency stop

Passengers had pulled the emergency cord, he said, which caused the train to make an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon, where armed police boarded.

Gavin added he saw someone moving through his carriage, and saying: “They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.”

“They were making their way through the carriage to get away from the suspects. They were extremely bloodied,” he added.

He says by the time the train stopped, “they were basically on the floor”.

“That person ended up collapsing on the floor. They were taken to an ambulance pretty much straight away,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Chris Casey of British Transport Police said: “This is a shocking incident and first and foremost my thoughts are with those who have been injured this evening and their families.

“We’re conducting urgent enquiries to establish what has happened, and it could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further.

“At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.

“Our response is ongoing at the station and will be for some time.”

UK

Two people in life-threatening condition after train mass stabbing – as police give details on suspects

Published

8 mins ago

November 2, 2025

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Two people in life-threatening condition after train mass stabbing - as police give details on suspects

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a mass stabbing on a train left two people with life-threatening injuries.

At least nine more people were injured in the attack on a train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday night.

Police made the arrests within eight minutes of the 999 call being made, Superintendent John Loveless from British Transport Police said.

Officers were deployed to Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire after the first 999 report at 7.42pm on Saturday and boarded the train.

Train stabbing latest: Two victims still fighting for lives

Two men were being held at separate police stations and questioned on suspicion of attempted murder, Sup Loveless said.

One is a 32-year-old male, a black British national, and the other is a 35-year-old man, a British national of Caribbean descent. Both were born in the UK.

In a statement, the King and Queen said they were “truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack,” and offered their “deepest sympathy and thoughts” with those affected.

In total, 11 people were treated in hospital – nine were initially reported as having life-threatening injuries. By late Sunday morning, two patients remained in a life-threatening condition, Sup Loveless told reporters at Huntingdon railway station.

“Following assessment and treatment, four – I’m thankful to say – have been discharged.”

Initial reports suggested police fired a Taser at a man with a large knife, after he went on a bloody rampage on the high-speed train.

There was “nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident”, Sup Loveless said, adding that the investigation would continue to examine the “motivations” which led to the attack.

“At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the cause of this incident,” he added.

Counter-terrorism police were initially supporting the investigation.

Witnesses told Sky News the stabbings started a few minutes after the train left Peterborough and passengers sounded the emergency alarm.

Armed police, paramedics, air ambulances, and transport police were deployed to the train – the 6.25pm London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service between Doncaster and London King’s Cross.

Some told of people trampling over each other, and some hiding in the toilets to escape.

One told Sky News he saw one of the attackers being Tasered by police before being arrested.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was an “appalling incident” and was “deeply concerning”.

“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response,” he wrote on X.

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened” by the incident and urged the public to “avoid comment and speculation at this early stage”.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said on X: “Horrific scenes in Huntingdon, in what seems to be a brutal mass attack by two perpetrators.

“My thoughts are with all those injured or affected and the emergency services responding.”

‘Shocked and frightened’ passengers

Defence Secretary John Healey spoke to Sky News on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips and said he took the same train route just hours before the attack.

“It’s the service I use every week to get home to Rotherham, so I can’t begin to imagine how shocked and frightened those passengers were.”

Asked by Phillips if the attack has changed the UK’s terror threat level, he says no and that it remains “substantial” – meaning an attack is considered “likely”.

‘Like a horror film’

Mayor of Huntingdon, Councillor Audrey McAdam, told Sky News she was “very emotional” after hearing about the stabbing and said it must have been like a “horror film” for the passengers.

“I’m still in shock… I’m very emotional, and as soon as I found out, I thought, ‘oh no’.

“I’m worried about the people actually in hospital at this moment… it’s something I never thought would ever happen around Huntingdon… it’s something so dreadful.

“But to live in that moment… it’s a horror film… complete horror. I just cannot imagine what the people must have [been] feeling… When you’re stuck on a train, what can you do? A moving train.”

An ‘incredible’ response from emergency services

Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty spoke to Sky News at the scene on Saturday night. He said: “When I first arrived here, I’ve simply never seen as big a response to an emergency incident as there was in terms of police, fire and ambulance.”

On Sunday morning, Mr Obese-Jecty spoke again about the “rapid, incredible response” and praised the “brave officers who came to try and neutralise that threat”.

The chief constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary told him officers had been training for a similar emergency “only last week”. The MP also called for people to avoid guessing about the circumstances.

“I think also people need to keep cool heads at this time. I’ve seen an awful lot of speculation online and a lot of misinformation,” he added.

David Horne, managing director of LNER, said the company was “deeply shocked and saddened”.

National Rail says some train routes to and from London King’s Cross on LNER, Great Northern and Thameslink services face disruption on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the Rail, Maritime and Transport union also said they were “horrified” by the attack.

“Our thoughts remain with the train crew and passengers who were either at work or going about their business on a busy Saturday night during this awful incident.”