Kevin McCarthy Praised by Democrats After Avoiding Government Shutdown

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has received unexpected praise from some Democrats after he successfully introduced a bill to avert the government shutdown.

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to members of the media while walking through Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 18, 2023. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Speaker of the House Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has received unexpected praise from some Democrats after a stopgap funding bill to avoid a shutdown of the U.S. government was successfully passed.

After weeks of uncertainty, 209 Democrats joined 126 Republicans in support of the measure and the bill cleared the House in a 335–91 vote on Sept. 30. The bill was approved by the Senate 88–9.