Small group in U.S. House continues to block efforts to stop government shutdown

Sept. 27 (UPI) -- As the federal government heads for a possible shutdown at midnight Saturday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday still lacked the GOP votes needed to pass even a short-term funding bill.

McCarthy has told his GOP House conference he won't allow a vote on the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate to avoid the shutdown, which seems increasingly likely given far-right House members' refusal to join a bipartisan effort to fund the government

While the House speaker has not turned to Democrats to help pass a bipartisan spending bill, the U.S. Senate has done just that.

Senate leaders from both sides of the aisle agreed to a short-term spending bill Tuesday that would fund the government at current levels through Nov. 17. That bill also provides Ukraine funding.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has told far-right House lawmakers that shutting down the government is not an effective way to make a point, saying it would interrupt pay for military service members, Border Patrol agents and Veterans Affairs medical providers.

In the House, a small group of GOP members are blocking efforts to fund the government. If McCarthy loses just four GOP votes, the House funding bill fails unless he gets Democrats to help pass it.

Currently there are at least eight Republican no votes on funding.

They include Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Eli Crane (Ariz.), Cory Mills (Fla.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Andy Ogles (Tenn.), Wesley Hunt (Texas) and Matt Rosendale (Mont.).

In a Wednesday press conference, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged House Republicans to settle the differences among themselves and to "come to their senses and honor the deal that they made with President Biden earlier this year."

He said "A Republican shutdown would stop our work on safety rules all because some of the same people who rushed to get in front of a camera during the East Palestine derailment aftermath are now demanding extreme cuts to railroad safety inspections."