Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
At The Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday, members of the Texas Congressional delegation expressed their concerns and frustrations about the House in crisis due to Republican infighting. With a potential federal government shutdown looming, they highlighted how this internal conflict has hindered the progress of approving annual spending bills.
“It is a really challenging time to get anything done in this Congress,” said U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston.
Fletcher spoke on a panel with three other House Democrats from Texas — Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett of Austin and Sylvia Garcia of Houston — about what it’s like working under Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
In order to fund the federal government, lawmakers must give their approval to 12 spending measures. With the GOP holding a slim majority in the House, it becomes crucial for most Republicans to align if all Democrats oppose a Republican proposal. McCarthy initiated the advancement of his spending plan by introducing a defense bill, which usually receives widespread support. However, a small faction of House Republicans defected earlier this week, causing the bill to be blocked not once, but twice. Moreover, hardline Republicans indicated their opposition to any short-term measures that would sustain the government’s operations beyond September 30, while lawmakers work towards resolving their disagreements.
Casar emphasized that the issue at hand is not limited to two parties but rather stems from a single political party. He pointed out that it is individuals from one side of the political spectrum who are determined to hold the American public hostage and inflict economic harm upon the nation simply to gain political leverage against President Biden.
Eli Crane and Andy Biggs from Arizona, Dan Bishop from North Carolina, Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia, and Matt Rosendale from Montana are among the GOP hardliners who have expressed their desire for more substantial reductions in federal spending overall.
A government shutdown could affect more than 100,000 federal employees and 110,000 active duty military members in Texas, according to data kept by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Defense.
Fletcher insisted that subjecting all these individuals to work without compensation and potentially placing them on indefinite furlough is a serious matter. He emphasized that the repercussions are tangible, and the mere contemplation of it should not be entertained during the negotiations.
In a separate panel, U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, discussed bipartisanship.
Both men were in agreement that certain House members are employing the approaching funding deadline as a means of exerting pressure.
Gonzales expressed his disappointment in the fact that there are individuals who actively support and derive pleasure from chaos in society. These individuals, irrespective of their political affiliations, fuel and revel in chaotic situations.
According to Cuellar, there are certain House Republicans who are withholding their support for spending bills until House Resolution 2, a proposal aimed at reinstating certain border policies from the Trump era, is approved.
Cuellar pointed out that during the previous shutdown with President Trump, he had anticipated coming out on top but it ultimately didn’t go as planned. Therefore, assuming that one will have the upper hand in such a situation doesn’t necessarily lead to the desired outcome.
Gonzales stated that McCarthy’s positioning has made it impossible for him to seek assistance or reach a compromise with Democrats for the necessary votes.
Gonzales expressed his thoughts on waking up, contemplating the available options and how he could contribute towards pulling them out of the deep and distressing situation they found themselves in. He emphasized the importance of ceasing to worsen the situation by continuing to engage in counterproductive actions, likening it to digging oneself deeper into a hole. Gonzales pointed out that McCarthy had not paused in his detrimental actions, and instead, they were intensifying their efforts to dig themselves into a deeper hole.
As The Texas Tribune’s signature event of the year, The Texas Tribune Festival brings Texans closer to politics, policy and the day’s news from Texas and beyond. Browse on-demand recordings and catch up on the biggest headlines from Festival events at the Tribune’s Festival news page.
