Punchbowl News: “When President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a deal to raise the debt limit back in May, they also set a ‘topline number’ for all of the FY2024 spending bills. That would smooth the process of writing the 12 annual appropriations bills. There weren’t going to be any shutdowns or a massive omnibus bill written in secret by party leaders.
It would be a return to the good ol’ days of regular order.”“But instead, McCarthy has faced an ongoing backlash from the House Freedom Caucus that’s largely cost the GOP leadership control of the appropriations process during the last three months.”