Schumer and McCarthy Agree Stopgap Spending Bill Necessary to Avoid Shutdown

Members of the hard-right Freedom Caucus said in July that they would not support a stopgap funding bill to keep the government running in the fall. “We should not fear a government shutdown,” Representative Bob Good, Republican of Virginia, said at a news conference last month. But it remains to be seen whether members of the Freedom Caucus would move to block a stopgap funding measure from coming to the floor at all.

Some Trump loyalists in the House, like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, are raising another potential obstacle, claiming they would try to cut funding for the special counsel Jack Smith and law enforcement agencies as a way of seeking justice for former President Donald J. Trump, who is facing multiple indictments by the Justice Department.

In a call with members earlier this week, Mr. McCarthy warned his conference to expect a vote on a stopgap funding bill when they return to Washington, a move he said was designed to give appropriators more time to get their work done, according to a person familiar with the call. Mr. McCarthy also told members he wanted to establish a “strong conservative House position” on spending bills and avoid a long-term stopgap funding measure, which would not include Republican spending priorities.

Before leaving for the August break, Mr. McCarthy met with all leaders individually, including Mr. Schumer, to discuss a path forward on the bills that need to be passed before the end of the year, including the defense bill and the farm bill.

Some more moderate Republican members were still warning of an impending government shutdown, even after the call on Monday night with Mr. McCarthy, and sought to place the blame on everyone involved.

“It’s clear President Biden and Speaker McCarthy want a government shutdown, so that’s what Congress will do after we return in September,” Representative Tony Gonzales, Republican of Texas, posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after the call. “Everyone should plan accordingly.”