McCarthy Shutdown Turnabout Came With Phone Flurry, Blame Gamble

Decided Democratic votes needed as far right refused to budge
Speaker now faces hardliner mutiny: ‘I like to gamble.’

WATCH: The cost of servicing US debt has surged. The perpetual threat of a government shutdown or even default comes thanks to political gridlock that’s seemingly put solutions out of reach. At some point, failure to tackle America’s large and growing budget deficit is going to hit the wallets of ordinary Americans.Source: Bloomberg

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By Billy House

October 1, 2023 at 9:30 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decisive moment came Friday night, after a tumultuous closed-door meeting of House Republicans showed once again he couldn’t budge hardliners from a series of contentious demands to prevent a government shutdown.

The 58-year-old veteran lawmaker, whose sunny California optimism masks a steely determination for political survival, had barely 24 hours to go before heading into a politically risky shutdown with his party divided and no coherent set of demands.