Republicans In Disarray, Government Headed For Shutdown

 

This was all pre- ordained when Kevin "Qevin" McCarthy bargained away his already imperceptible balls in order to become Squeaker of the House:

House Republicans for the second week in a row failed to move forward on any legislation related to funding the government, stunning many in their ranks as a government shutdown looms next week.

The status of negotiations on both a short-term funding solution and long-term appropriations legislation declined so severely Thursday that lawmakers began to return home, with no votes scheduled for the rest of the week.

Republicans’ inability to pass a single funding provision since returning to Washington last week — including twice failing to start debate on a Defense Department appropriations bill — is the latest embarrassment for the conference whose direction is being dictated not by leaders but a handful of stubborn holdouts.

Unable to overcome the opposition, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has scrapped discussion of a stopgap funding bill to keep the government open after the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, significantly increasing the already high chances of a government shutdown.

In an attempt to appease the demands of the far-right members who vowed to oppose any stopgap measure — called a continuing resolution and colloquially referred to as a “CR” — until there is progress on long-term appropriations bills, McCarthy and his leadership team will focus on passing the 11 remaining individual bills.

“The CR is dead,” said one Republican aide who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly.  [our emphasis]

Not even a CR at this point?  What's the likelihood of the Squeaker negotiating with Democrats on either a stopgap CR or on any of the Republican appropriations bills, when he's in peril of losing his Squeakership as soon as Rep. Matt Gaetz can retrieve his motion to remove McCarthy from a House bathroom?  Well, if they can't even pass (dead on arrival) appropriations bills through their own crackpot caucus, including for the Defense Department, why expect any better from these nihilistic idiots who would like nothing better than shutting down the government? 

One potentially positive near- term outcome of a government shutdown might be its effect on off- year elections in Virginia, whose many federal workers will be going to the polls in November in a Commonwealth with both its House of Delegates and Senate up for grabs.  If Democrats can make what should be an easy case that trusting Republicans to govern is a fool's errand, they could put themselves in a good position to take back the blue- trending Commonwealth.

(Photo:  You asked for it, Qevin! / Drew Angerer, Getty Images)