House GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif) said Tuesday that the Senate does not have enough time to negotiate a long-term budget compromise before the current stop-gap measure expires on March 18. As a result, House Republicans a preparing a second short-term resolution to head off a government shutdown. The Hill reports:
“Republicans will be prepared in the House to do another two-, three- or four-week CR, but each time, we’re going to go at it taking more bites, making sure we have cuts out there that will make the economy stronger,” McCarthy said at a breakfast hosted by The Christian Science Monitor.
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McCarthy blamed Democrats for stalling negotiations on a long-term CR. Senate Democratic leaders have said that the House-passed version, cutting a total of $61 billion in spending, is a non-starter.
“Because of their lack of action and because the vice president starting negotiations and then leaving the country, what do we want to do, have a shutdown, are we going to wait until he comes back,” McCarthy asked.
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