Senate Republicans Getting Real Sick of House Republicans

It’s not only Democrats who are sick of the bullshit of the far right House Republicans. It’s Senate Republicans too. The Senate made a big deal of passing appropriations bills, often unanimously, this session. This just throws the House extremism in their face and now Senate Republicans are openly trashing Kevin McCarthy and the House. Pass the popcorn.

“I’m convinced it’s happening,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) told reporters on Wednesday when asked if he was worried about a government shutdown.

“I just think there are too many people that think that there’s some benefit in that,” he added as he headed to the Senate chamber for a vote. “The House is a raucous place and some people like government shutdowns, so we’ll see.”

One of the most consistently vocal MAGA critics, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), echoed a similar sentiment.

Romney told reporters on Wednesday he thinks a shutdown is “very likely.”

“I’m reading the newspapers. I’m reading what you’re writing. Sounds like the House is gonna have a hard time reaching consensus,” Romney added.

He’s not wrong. For weeks before the August recess, far-right House Republicans handicapped typically uneventful appropriations committee meetings and turned them into battle grounds over their party’s manufactured culture wars and MAGA grievances.

MAGA Republicans stuffed the bills with anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ amendments and argued they simply want to cut government spending to pre-COVID levels. But instead they’ve created appropriations bills that are dead on arrival at the Senate. 

And so, the House left for its lengthy recess with multiple appropriations bills still stuck in committee.

Meanwhile, in an historic effort, the Senate passed all 12 appropriations bills out of the committee before leaving for recess.

“[McCarthy’s] got a tough job,” Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) said, as he walked on to the Senate subway following a floor vote.

When asked if House Republicans will have to compromise to avoid a shutdown, Young shook his head “yes” through the subway’s glass door.

“Hopefully, get it done.” Romney said when asked if he has a message for the House.

Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) issued a statement Wednesday showing his support for the “minibus” appropriations bill the Senate is planning to vote on next week, which will involve combining a handful of appropriations bills into one package.

“While the spending levels and policy differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate are large, I hope regular order will prevail and we work to pass appropriations bills through both bodies,” Graham wrote, saying he supports the supplemental funding Biden asked for in the form of disaster relief and Ukraine aid.

“It is obvious to me this will be a challenge,” Graham added, referring to his calls for the House to follow the Senate’s lead and reach a bipartisan deal. 

More here, including different Senate Republicans trashing McCarthy.