GOP Rep. Rosendale shifts blame to Senate for appropriations shortfalls

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) pinned fears of a looming government shutdown on the Senate on Friday, saying the House has done its part in passing key appropriations bills.

“With the bills we’ve already passed and we’re sending over to the Senate. We’re talking about funding 70 percent of the government,” Rosendale said in an interview on The Hill on NewsNation. “The Senate has not passed a single, solitary appropriations bill.”

Amid conflicts over spending, which have put Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) at odds with his own caucus, the GOP-led House passed three appropriations bills this week to fund parts of the government. Those bills were never expected to be passed, or even considered, in the Senate.

The appropriations bills faced protests from a group of conservative Republicans demanding further budget cuts than McCarthy proposed. Democrats have made clear that even McCarthy’s cuts are too far and go against a bipartisan deal made between party leaders earlier this year.

“We demonstrated this past week just how fast the House of Representatives can do its job and get appropriations bills passed,” Rosendale said. “It’s not just our obligation to the American people but it’s statutorily required to pass the 12 appropriations bills.”

The Senate proposed and passed a short-term government funding bill Thursday. The House failed to pass a similar measure Friday, though the bodies would have had to hash out differences between the two texts — an unlikely outcome given a preemptive promise to veto the House version from the White House.

He lamented House leadership for putting the caucus on the precipice of a shutdown but ultimately said the Senate needs to hold up their side of the process.

“We should have done this in June, June 1st, we should have done this July 1st, we should have done this August 1st. We didn’t, but we find ourselves where we are,” he said.

“So while I’m not very happy about where we are or why our leadership has failed us and allowed us to get to this point where we should have been passing these bills out months ago, we are here but at least now it is taking place,” he continued.

The chaos in the House GOP has also raised questions about McCarthy’s fate as speaker, amid calls for him to be replaced. Some Democrats have hinted at a plan to keep McCarthy in place, in exchange demanding power-sharing concessions.

Rosendale said McCarthy’s job as speaker is “to be determined,” saying that it depends on how many Democrats will back him if a motion to vacate vote occurs.