Shutdown Averted. Now What?

The first thing to know about the 11th-hour decision by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to agree to a deal to keep the government running through Nov. 17, is that it’s the most ordinary thing possible. When Congress hasn’t completed work on its spending bills by the beginning of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, it passes an extension. That Republicans flailed around for weeks trying to do something else only revealed that sometimes, the obvious path is obvious for a reason.

But neither side got everything they wanted. There’s no new aid for Ukraine. McCarthy excluded it to appease members of his conference who oppose support for the nation. That complicated things for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell when Republicans in that chamber overruled their leader — realizing along with House and Senate Democrats that the only way to avert a shutdown was to accept the House package. That still wasn’t enough for far-right House Republicans, who, angered that McCarthy worked with Democrats to come up with a deal have threatened to oust him from his leadership role.