“I plan to present a motion this week to vacate Speaker McCarthy (…) I think we need to take the Band-Aid off,” Gaetz told CNN’s State of the Union program. “I think we need to continue with new leadership that is credible,” he said.
In order to continue and avoid a government ‘shutdown’, McCarthy had to rely on the support of Democrats, a move that some Republicans warned would lead to attempts to remove him from his position as speaker.
Minutes after the bill passed in the House, McCarthy told reporters: “If somebody wants to file a motion against me, file it. There has to be an adult in the room.”
With the bipartisan deal, the so-called ‘continuity resolution’ was approved, a project that will fund the government for 45 days, while negotiations on the federal budget continue. It was approved by the votes of 126 Republicans and 209 Democrats (only one Democrat voted against).
After its approval in the Lower House, the project went to the Senate, where it was also approved, and finally to Biden’s desk.
What is a ‘continuing resolution’?
The interim measure approved by Congress and signed by Biden is a ‘continuing resolution,’ as a plan to fund the government temporarily, while lawmakers continue negotiations to agree on a permanent spending bill.
The ‘continuity resolution’ approved this Saturday will maintain government financing for another 45 days. If at that time the Congress has not approved the long-term financing bills or another ‘continuity resolution’ that gives more time to achieve this, the country may once again face a possible ‘shutdown’ of the government.
The new deadline for approving the government’s budget ends on November 17. Lawmakers have until then to agree on the federal government’s spending allocations for the current fiscal year, a task that seems complicated. , because of deep partisan differences in Congress, and especially within the Republican Party itself because a group of the most conservative lawmakers demanded conditions. which could hardly be approved by a Senate dominated by Democrats.
What aspects are contemplated in the approved ‘continuing resolution’?
In order to gain the approval of the Democrats, the legislative text presented by McCarthy on Saturday did not reject some of the demands of the Republicans, such as strong immigration restrictions or more spending.
Biden praised the last-minute agreement by Congress, which in his words, “avoids an unnecessary crisis that will inflict unnecessary pain on millions of hard-working Americans.” However, Biden has criticized Republicans for rejecting some of the spending deals he agreed to with McCarthy months ago, particularly military aid to Ukraine.
“I fully expect the Speaker (of the House of Representatives) to continue his commitment to the people of Ukraine and ensure the delivery of the support needed to help Ukraine at this critical time,” Biden said in a statement.
Aid to Ukraine is a key point for Democrats, but to gain their support despite removing it from the resolution, McCarthy has promised to introduce a stand-alone bill that includes $24,000 in military aid to Ukraine that the president wants to include it in the budget. It is possible to vote on this project early next week, according to media reports.
