McConnell and McCarthy split deepens as GOP divide prompts shutdown fears

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy privately delivered a message to Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell this week: The Senate’s bipartisan bill to keep the government open wouldn’t get a vote in his chamber unless significant changes are made.

And then when the speaker appeared before his conference on Wednesday morning, McCarthy relayed that same message and later made clear he wouldn’t put the Senate bill on the House floor, underscoring the divide between the two most powerful Republicans in Washington at a pivotal moment for the country and their party.

With just days left until government funding runs dry, the two men are at sharp odds as McCarthy is rejecting the deal McConnell cut with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and still trying to rely on House GOP votes to bolster his conference’s negotiating position.