Kevin McCarthy’s Catch-22 on the shutdown

If he pursues the hard-right approach, it’s DOA in the Senate, and a shutdown is inevitable. If he passes a bipartisan CR to fund the government, his speakership is imperiled.

If McCarthy pursues the hard-right approach favored by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and a handful of other members — passing GOP-written bills packed with spending cuts and conservative policy riders — it is dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate. A shutdown is inevitable.

If, instead, McCarthy passes a bipartisan continuing resolution to keep the government open, it likely imperils his speakership by decisively turning the House’s hardline conservatives against him. A motion to vacate is inevitable.

Over the weekend, McCarthy rolled out his latest bid to pivot away from an embarrassing stretch where members of his own party left plan after plan in tatters, taking down two procedural votes and otherwise making a mockery of his ability to lead the House GOP.

The new plan is to package several full-year appropriations bills together and try to get them moving in the House, bowing to the wishes of Gaetz and other hardliners.

On its face, it’s a strategy to nowhere.ARTICLE HERE