In Congress, Republicans confront divisions posing long-term threats

Congressional Republicans confronted sharp internal divisions Wednesday, with clashes over government spending and party leadership underscoring looming challenges in the GOP as it prepares to take control of the House in January. House Republicans met Wednesday to discuss party rules that will govern their narrow majority next year, including a push by staunch conservatives dangling demands over Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) in exchange for votes to support his bid to become the next speaker. The tensions threaten to delay the start of basic House functions, such as proposing legislation and jump-starting investigations into the Biden administration. “It’s a volatile situation,” Rep. Stephanie I. Bice (R-Okla.) said of the conversation about House rules. “And I think that the majority of the conference doesn’t feel like that’s in the best interest of the body as a whole.”

The strife came as the clock continued to tick on yet another down-to-the-wire negotiation over federal funding. It also reflected the growing uncertainty surrounding the GOP’s ability to unite in the new year amid fractures in their ranks and strong disagreements between hard-right Republicans and their more moderate colleagues. Congress must act before the end of Friday to avert a shutdown of federal government services. Lawmakers were poised to extend the deadline by an extra week, giving them until Dec. 23 to act. The Democratic-controlled House passed the extension Wednesday evening largely along party lines, with nine Republicans also voting in favor. The Senate is expected to take up the measure as soon as Thursday. But finding a longer path forward on government funding has been far from smooth. McCarthy led House Republicans in echoing a handful of Senate Republicans who argued for a short-term funding measure until the GOP assumes the House majority in January. They could then immediately work to rein in spending by the Biden administration rather than wait until the end of next year, the thinking goes.