GOP-led House fails to pass stopgap measure to avoid government shutdown

The Republican-led House on Friday failed to approve a 30-day stopgap funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, to avoid a partial government shutdown this weekend.

In total, 198 House Republicans voted for the measure, which did not get a single House Democrat yes vote. There were 21 conservative Republicans who joined Democrats and voted against it. 

"While the House has not passed all of our appropriations bills, and the Senate has not passed any approps, we are in a position where a continuing resolution with border security is better than a shutdown," Georgia GOP Rep. Austin Scott, who voted in favor of the bill, said afterward. 

The failed vote appears to perhaps be the last effort to prevent the shutdown.

The Democratic-majority Senate is considering a separate bill to keep the government open, but GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said his GOP-led chamber will reject it.

This is a developing story ... 

McCarthy told reporters on Friday that the GOP-led House planned to vote on a stopgap measure to temporarily fund the government that includes reductions in spending and funding to address the border crisis.

The measure later passed a procedural hurdle in the chamber but faces an uphill climb in the Senate should it pass the House. 

McCarthy said during a news conference on Friday that in 5 days there were 50,000 illegal border crossings.

He said Biden has been to the border less than he's met with Hunter Biden's business partners. 

“Every member will have to go on record on where they stand. Are they willing to secure the border or do they side with President Biden on an open border?” he said. "We hope Democrats will join with us. I hope Democrats won't vote to shutdown the government."

If the stopgap measure fails to pass through both the House and Senate, Congress is expected to stay in session to hash out a deal to pass a government funding bill ahead of the deadline. 

Government appropriations runs out midnight on Sept. 30.

McCarthy was asked why he is moving forward with a bill that is likely not to pass in the Democratic-led Senate. In response, McCarthy said it shouldn't be assumed that he is going to do whatever the Senate does.

House conservatives have been pushing for about $120 billion in spending cuts. The Senate had passed a 45-day temporary spending bill, which House conservatives said they would oppose if it were put up for a vote in the chamber.

The House will vote on a rule Friday for legislation extending funding for 30 days below current levels for select federal agencies until October 31 which will include border security enforcement measures. 

McCarthy told reporters that the border barrier should be completed along open areas of the border and holes in the wall should be filled.