House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is a man who stays in motion — enthusiastically greeting tourists at the Capitol, dashing overseas last week to the G7 summit of industrial world leaders, raising funds back home to elect fellow Republicans to the House majority.

But beneath the whirlwind of activity is a stubborn standstill, an imbalance of power between the far-right Republicans who hoisted McCarthy to the speaker’s role yet threaten his own ability to lead the House.

It’s a political standoff that will be tested anew as the House returns this week from a long summer recess and McCarthy faces a collision course of difficult challenges — seeking to avoid a government shutdown, support Ukraine in the war and launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

“They’ve got some really heavy lifting ahead,” said the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, John Thune, of South Dakota.

  • donuts@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    There are a lot of things I’m sick of from the American right, but these little fucking games that they play with government shutdowns and potential US credit defaults every single year are particularly getting old.

    • Cerbero@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      And the things they claim to care are are only a problem when they’re not in power.

      They only care about the deficit after they ran up the bill. They claim they are about law and order until it’s one of their own. Etc