Joe Biden: ‘We should stop electing’ House Republicans if they can’t fund the government

President Biden called out lawmakers who “are willing to shut down the government,” saying House Republicans are not doing their jobs.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has struggled with his party with just four days left to fund the government. A group of lawmakers, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, has vowed to never vote for a stopgap measure to keep the government open.

Mr. Biden on Monday said prior to a meeting with his board of advisers on historically Black colleges that House Republicans are reneging on the debt deal that he and Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, agreed to.

“Funding the government is one of the most basic fundamental responsibilities of the Congress,” Mr. Biden said. “And if Republicans in the House don’t start doing their job, we should stop electing them.”

Mr. Biden’s remarks came as House Republicans gear up for a procedural vote Tuesday night on four spending bills, including legislation to fund the departments of Defense, State, Agriculture and Foreign Operations.

The lower chamber has advanced only one spending measure and fumbled two other procedural votes on the defense bill because of $300 million in Ukraine funding. Mr. McCarthy toyed with removing the Ukraine money in the bill, but decided against it.

The Ukraine funding could trip up the package, which if advanced will see each of the bills getting its own vote later in the week. Even if lawmakers pass those bills, it still won’t be in time to prevent a government shutdown.

Meanwhile, the Senate has not advanced any spending legislation.

Mr. McCarthy has promised to bring a stopgap bill to the floor this week and has a few options to choose from. House lawmakers have devised a trio of incarnations, including a version from Mr. McCarthy that would lower overall spending to $1.471 trillion for the measure’s 30-day duration, include most of the Secure the Border Act and create a debt commission.