Congress Approves Short-Term Spending Bill; Speaker McCarthy Removed from House Leadership
October 5, 2023
With only hours to spare before the start of the new fiscal year, Congress advanced legislation (H.R. 5860) on September 30 that funds the entirety of the federal government for an additional 45 days. Specifically, the Act (P.L. 118-15), which was signed into law by President Biden later that evening, extends funding at current levels through November 17, giving Congress an additional six weeks to negotiate a compromise appropriations package for fiscal year 2024.
Among other things, the measure includes $16 billion in supplemental spending for emergency disaster assistance. It also extends the authorization for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – which was also set to expire on October 1 – through December 31. Several other key federal programs – including the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and a handful of USDA programs – were extended through November 17. Finally, the Act temporarily extends a base salary increase for federal wildland firefighters that was set to expire.
It should be noted that the law does not include any military aid to support the Ukraine war effort, nor does it include any immigration-related policy changes or funding to bolster border security, much to the disdain of House conservatives.
With a bloc of Republicans opposed to any measure that did not include significant domestic discretionary budget cuts and other conservative policy changes, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had to rely on Democrats to advance H.R. 5860. However, he paid a political price for working with the opposing party, as Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced a resolution earlier this week to strip McCarthy of his title. The “motion to vacate,” which was a key concession that McCarthy agreed to earlier this year, allows a single House member to force the chamber to consider dismissing the speaker. In the end, the House voted 216 to 210 to remove the California Republican.
Following his ouster, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) was appointed speaker pro tempore, and he will act as speaker until the chamber elects its next leader. At this point, it’s unclear who in the GOP conference can garner enough support to assume the position. While McCarthy is still eligible to win the gavel, he has made clear that he does not intend to run for speaker again. As of this writing, the leading candidates for the job are Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Representative Kevin Hern (R-OK).
Finally, across Capitol Hill, Laphonsa Butler was sworn in to the U.S. Senate to fill the seat of the late-Senator Dianne Feinstein. Butler, who was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom two days after the passing of Senator Feinstein, becomes just the third Black female senator in U.S. history. Senator Butler is a former labor leader, fundraiser, and well-known political strategist. Most recently, Butler served as the president of Emily’s List.