Exclusive: House Republicans Divided in Closed-Door Meeting Amid Looming Government Shutdown Threat

House Republicans continue to grapple with reaching consensus on funding the government, engaging in a back-and-forth dialogue during a closed-door party meeting on Tuesday morning.

Despite resistance from conservative hardliners who remain steadfast in their opposition, GOP leaders intend to proceed with a vote on their proposal this week. This vote, however, may be thwarted if these individuals opt to vote against a procedural measure, thereby preventing the bill from advancing to the floor. During the meeting, GOP lawmakers took turns arguing for or against the plan, which seeks to temporarily fund the government while bolstering border security. However, it is worth noting that the plan is unlikely to find support in the Democratically-controlled Senate.

The House GOP leaders decided to cancel the procedural rule vote on the proposal that was supposed to happen on Tuesday due to strong opposition from hardliners. It is uncertain whether or when the vote will be rescheduled.

"There is significant opposition in that room. I am unsure how they will manage to secure the necessary 218 votes," commented Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, as she left the meeting. "Without reaching an agreement with the Democrats, I do not foresee it being approved. These next two weeks are going to feel quite lengthy."

Government funding is set to expire on September 30.

According to sources present in the room, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy urged members who are against the concept to resolve their disagreements in House GOP Whip Tom Emmer's office.

Rep. Scott Perry, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and a conservative Republican from Pennsylvania, urged members during the meeting to share alternative ideas if they are opposed to the current plan. Sources revealed that some conservative hardliners are considering the possibility of including lower spending cuts in the proposal. Republican Rep. Bob Good of Virginia stated that leadership is open to considering all options and clarified that the deal was negotiated by only a subset of the Freedom Caucus, not the entire group.

But he also predicted it would be hard to avoid a government shutdown at this point, though he added, it should not be something that they "fear."

GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida walks to a House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol on September 19, 2023 in Washington, DC.

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Rep. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican, believes it is necessary for House Republicans to work over the weekend until consensus is reached on how to keep the government operational. He acknowledged mistakenly voting in favor of a rule supporting the short-term funding bill due to being inattentive during the Monday night meeting. However, he intends to vote against the rule on the floor.

Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican and one of the negotiators involved in the package, proposed a potential approach to move forward. He suggested that the speaker should provide a clear spending limit as well as individual spending figures for each of the appropriations bills. This would assist undecided members in grasping the full scope of the situation.

"I believe the most significant aspect that has caught my attention - and this is where my colleagues make a valid argument - is what steps do we take moving forward? The speaker must establish a primary objective, create a framework, and set a target," expressed Roy. "I have been emphasizing this for several months now. I personally believe we find ourselves in this situation due to the absence of a clear objective."

However, Roy did criticize certain opposition members.

"I find it incredibly challenging to justify or support opposition to an 8% reduction within a 30-day timeframe in exchange for the most stringent and conservative measures for border security that we have ever passed in this legislative body," he expressed. "To me, it is incomprehensible. I view it as a form of professional negligence, and I believe there are certain external organizations...that are involved in this and are pushing this argument that it would be an act of negligence to proceed with this, when the true negligence would be to enter into a government shutdown without a unified and well-planned message."

According to Florida GOP Representative Byron Donalds, the lawmakers who negotiated the bill are open to discussion.

Donalds expressed his desire for genuine conservative achievements, without relying on mere talking points, tweets, or any similar matters. Perry stated that he persists in promoting the bill among his colleagues, emphasizing a straightforward message: they must eventually choose between passing something or facing obstruction from the Senate.

"This is a proposal I am presenting on behalf of myself. I want to clarify that my support for it does not necessarily imply a personal liking, but rather a collaborative effort with my colleague to explore and secure one of two possible directions. The first path entails offering a solution that allows the American people to witness the principles we stand for. On the other hand, we have the option of realistically accepting whatever the Senate presents to us. It is crucial to acknowledge that while you may not attain every single desired outcome, inactivity will result in obtaining nothing at all."

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida is seen on his way to a House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol on September 19, 2023 in Washington, DC.

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According to a whip count by CNN, there are currently at least 15 members who oppose the bill. Additionally, there are several others who have not yet made a decision. Among the members who oppose the bill are: Representatives Good, Norman, Andy Ogles from Tennessee, Matt Gaetz from Florida, Dan Bishop from North Carolina, Andy Biggs from Arizona, Tim Burchett from Tennessee, Anna Paulina Luna from Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia, Matt Rosendale from Montana, Victoria Spartz from Indiana, Eli Crane from Arizona, Cory Mills from Florida, Wesley Hunt from Texas, and Paul Gosar from Arizona. With 15 opposing votes, the bill would fail to pass without any support from Democrats, as Republicans hold 221 seats compared to Democrats' 212.

House Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole from Oklahoma informed reporters that he intended to bring the rule to the floor on Tuesday. However, House leaders later decided to withdraw the procedural rule vote on their short-term spending bill, which is further evidence of the significant disagreements among House Republicans regarding the way ahead. Despite the possibility of his own party rejecting the bill, Cole expressed no concern about the larger strategy.

"Welcome to politics," Cole told reporters.

Cole, who said some of the "No" votes are "movable," warned his colleagues who are withholding their votes for the wrong reasons.

"Thats not good legislation and thats blackmail," he said.

This story has been updated with additional developments.