CNN’s Phil Mattingly reports that tensions are high inside the House Republican Conference meeting less than 24 hours before the government is expected to shut down. Mattingly said members were shouting at each other and acknowledged that “there’s a ton of anger in the room.”
The meeting is an important one as it is the last chance that Republicans have to pass a short term spending bill that would keep the government open before midnight Friday. House Republicans are considering a stopgap spending bill that would fund the government until Feb. 16, but the Senate already rejected the measure and it is widely viewed as a nonstarter.
The showdown has divided Republicans, with some who support the bill citing the need for Wall funding and others worried the shutdown could endanger a wider budget deal. Some Republican members have reportedly floated the idea of extending the shutdown if their demands for funding the Wall aren’t met.
At the meeting, however, the focus was on finding a way to keep the government open after midnight. It remains to be seen if House Republicans can present a unified party and reach an agreement with the Senate. But with time running out, it’s increasingly unclear whether or not an agreement can be reached before the shutdown deadline.
