Democratic Caucus chair says shutdown is looming because ‘the far right is battling the extreme right’

Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said Congress is on a “collision course” toward a government shutdown because of the power dynamics at play in the House of Representatives.

Aguilar attempted to characterize two factions of the House GOP conference, the “far right” and the “extreme right,” and blamed the internal battle taking place between the two groups for what he sees as the House’s inability to do their job.

“This is what House Republicans have done; they have created a scenario where the most extreme MAGA Republicans guide everything we do.

“Kevin McCarthy can’t pass appropriations bills; he can’t pass pieces of legislation without this core group of supporters, and so he has to do anything they want, including and up to impeachment,” Aguilar said Sunday in an interview with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki.

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Gripes from House conservatives about funding levels and policies forced Republican leaders to postpone votes on bills to fund agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration until September, yet another sign of a fractured caucus.

Aguilar said what House Democrats are most concerned about is a lack of time to avoid a shutdown. As he pointed out, only 12 legislative days remain until government funding runs out.

“That is where we are today,” Aguilar said. “Kevin McCarthy can’t control his own conference, and they continue to let the most extreme members guide everything they do.”

Aguilar articulated this point further, saying that the lack of control he sees from McCarthy is “what’s so dangerous about impeachment discussions.”

Referring to talks of impeaching Biden, Aguilar echoed what many in his party have said.

“They don’t have any evidence against President Biden,” Aguilar said. “This is a complete distraction.”

McCarthy last week said he believes the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s investigations into the foreign business activities of Biden’s will rise to the level of an impeachment inquiry. Democrats and some Republicans criticized McCarthy’s comments, including Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who called impeachment talks a “shiny object” to distract from negotiations about spending.