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Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suffered a stinging defeat on Friday after members of his own caucus voted against his latest attempt to pass a short-term spending bill aimed at keeping the government open beyond September.
A group of 21 GOP representatives defied their leader, refusing to support a bill that aimed to fund the government through October 31, though it would have added spending cuts and measures for stricter border security.
The failure of the bill's passage brings the U.S. government closer to a shutdown—with a little more than 24 hours left before federal agencies run out of money to stay open for the coming fiscal year—a reality that analysts say could damage the economy at a time of uncertainty for the country.

In Congress on Friday, 232 House members voted against the bill versus 198 in the yes column, while three members did not vote.
Here is a list of the 21 Republican House members that voted against the bill, according to a count from the Clerk of the House.
- Andy Biggs (Arizona)
- Dan Bishop (North Carolina)
- Lauren Boebert (Colorado)
- Ken Buck (Colorado)
- Tim Burchett (Tennessee)
- Eric Burlison (Missouri)
- Michael Cloud (Texas)
- Elijah Crane (Arizona)
- Matt Gaetz (Florida)
- Paul A. Gosar (Arizona)
- Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia)
- Wesley Hunt (Texas)
- Nancy Mace (South Carolina)
- Mary E. Miller (Illinois)
- Cory Mills (Florida)
- Alexander X. Mooney (West Virginia)
- Barry Moore (Alabama)
- Troy E. Nehls (Texas)
- Andrew Ogles (Tennessee)
- Matthew M. Rosendale, Sr. (Montana)
- Keith Self (Texas)
McCarthy has a slim nine-vote majority in the House and little room to maneuver. With Democrats united, any loss of Republicans makes it tough for his party to advance legislation.
Even if the embattled House speaker had managed to unite his fractured conference and pass the bill, it would have met fatal resistance in the Senate, where its deep cuts and focus on border security is unlikely to garner support in the Democrat-controlled upper chamber.
The Senate is pushing through its own bipartisan stopgap spending bill that wants to fund the government until November 17, which includes aid to Ukraine. The far-right group of House Republicans have expressed deep opposition to that agreement.
Should that pass in the Senate, it would force McCarthy to make a decision on whether to ask for Democratic support to pass the bill and avoid a shutdown.
A halt in government operations will prove deeply disruptive not only to the economy but also to the access of services from federal agencies, including public parks and museums. As of late Friday afternoon, the next direction McCarthy and Republicans in the House will take was unclear.
Newsweek reached out for comment via email on Friday to McCarthy's office.
About the writer
Omar Mohammed is a Newsweek reporter based in the Greater Boston area. His focus is reporting on the Economy and ... Read more