Tensions boiled over in a meeting of House Republicans on Thursday, just hours before the government was expected to shut down after the Senate failed to pass a stopgap spending bill.
According to reports from the Hill, lawmakers took turns attacking one another’s ideas and condemning one another’s lack of leadership during the two-hour gathering, which was called by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI). Some members accused the Republican leadership of failing to prepare adequately for the looming shutdown, and at least one member threatened to vote against the next spending bill if it did not include a DACA fix.
The meeting reportedly failed to yield any resolution and at times devolved into shouting matches. Some lawmakers argued that Congress should focus on passing an immigration bill, while others said that the deadline for passing a continuing resolution (CR) was the immediate concern. Ryan’s efforts to pass the CR in the House had also come under attack from conservatives who wanted to see a deeper spending cut.
The speakers at the meeting frequently bickered with one another over the best way forward, and by the end of the meeting, there was still no resolution. Although House Republicans had planned to vote on a CR on Thursday, that vote was eventually postponed. In the meantime, the government is expected to shut down at midnight tonight if Congress fails to pass a spending bill.
