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A deal to keep the government funded that was struck late Sunday by two factions of the House GOP appears to have already hit enough opposition to derail it.
Negotiators for the pragmatic Main Street Caucus and the hardline right House Freedom Caucus agreed to a stopgap spending bill known as a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government for 31 days while cutting discretionary government spending by about 1%.
Funding for defense, veterans affairs and disaster relief would not be cut under the deal, while the remaining areas covered by Congress’ 12 appropriations bills will be reduced by about 8%. A draft copy of the agreement’s top lines was obtained by Fox News Digital.
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It would also attach House Republicans’ border security bill, H.R. 2, excluding a provision mandating eVerify that a significant number of GOP lawmakers opposed.
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is tasked with leading a GOP majority that has been at odds for months over spending.
But even as details of the CR deal leaked on Sunday night, multiple House Republicans took to social media to publicly voice their opposition. With just a thin majority in Congress’ lower chamber and multiple absences on both sides, a piece of legislation can only lose four GOP votes to pass without Democratic support.
“No CR. Pass the damn approps bills. Roll back the crazy bureaucracy to pre-COVID levels. Now,” Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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Former Freedom Caucus member Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on the site, “CR negotiated by Byron Donalds and Dusty Johnson. No policy riders in the CR. So it’s all the policies from last year’s Democrat appropriations, with an 8% cut. Plus the border bill, but no E-Verify. I’m a NO.”
Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., also were among those voicing opposition on Sunday night into Monday.
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is among the GOP lawmakers already voicing opposition to the CR. (Getty)
A source told Fox News Digital that the CR is expected to get a vote on Thursday, the day after the House is expected to vote on the defense appropriations bill that was derailed last week by conservatives’ lingering concerns on spending.
If Congress fails to pass any kind of funding plan by Sept. 30, lawmakers risk letting the government sink into a partial shutdown.
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Top Republicans across the conference signaled support for the CR deal on Monday. Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., said on X, “HFC Members have worked over the weekend with the Main Street Caucus on a path forward to fund the government and secure America’s border. We now have a framework for our colleagues across the House Republican Conference.”
Freedom Caucus Policy Chair Chip Roy, R-Texas, a key negotiator between conservatives and GOP leaders, also spoke out for the CR plan.
“In short, this bill is only 30 DAYS (30 days), & would fund troops, fund vets, cut federal bureaucracy 8% more than ever been cut including weaponized DOJ, force strongest border security ever, & re-focus military on mission over social engineering,” Roy wrote online.
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Main Street Caucus Chair Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., told Fox News that the CR presented Republican members with an “incredible opportunity” to vote to secure the border.
“The reality is that we can’t shut down government and we must secure the border. Our framework, our deal does that,” Johnson said. “Shutdowns are stupid. I think we have an obligation to find a way forward, and we’re going to.”
Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report
Elizabeth Elkind is a reporter for Fox News Digital focused on Congress as well as the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and politics. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]
