Wow. Hours before triggering a completely preventable and pointless government shutdown, Speaker Kevin McCarthy finally relented to reality and put a short-term funding bill without cuts and far-right policies on the floor of the House, which passed it easily with 335 bipartisan votes.
The Senate followed suit, with White House support, and the government is funded until November 17, which means the country might have to endure more unnecessary drama just before carving our Thanksgiving turkeys.
For days, pressure built on House Republicans and McCarthy who had abandoned the funding levels in the bipartisan debt ceiling agreement brokered just a few months ago. The consequences of a government shutdown—delayed paychecks for 2 million military families and educators, depriving 10,000 children of Head Start, and denying 7 million mothers and their children access to healthy food provided by WIC—ultimately drove significant pushback across both chambers to a small band of Republican extremists claiming it would be no big deal.
What’s next? Some of the same House Republicans itching for a shutdown continue to threaten McCarthy’s gavel. They may make a move next week.
Meanwhile, work on finishing all funding bills for the remainder of the fiscal year must continue and House Republican leadership has indicated they still plan to go forward in a few weeks with the extreme bill that cuts Title I by 80 percent. Check out what President Becky Pringle had to say about that.
That’s where your continued voice comes in too. Now that the most current crisis has been averted, keep weighing in on why the House education funding bill is so wrong. Take action below.
College would become even less affordable and meaningful reform of student debt relief programs impossible under the House GOP’s proposed education budget.
The House majority is pushing an education funding bill that would hurt students, eliminate nearly 248,000 educator jobs, and cut access to higher education.
CHEER: Reps. Mike Levin (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) reintroduced the bipartisan Military Dependents School Meal Eligibility Act (H.R. 5619) to help the children of military service members qualify for free and reduced-price school meal programs.
JEER: Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) introduced the Department of Labor Succession Act (H.R. 4957) to limit how long Julie Su can serve as Acting Secretary of Labor.
