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“Crisis Looms: House GOP Meeting Heats Up In Countdown to Shutdown.

The House GOP met in a closed-door session today to discuss possible solutions for averting a government shutdown, but tensions reached a boiling point as the clock winds down to midnight, with no consensus reached and the budget yet to be approved. At the center of the debate were President Trump’s call for $5 billion toward border wall funding, which many in the GOP had opposed. The president had called for the funding as part of a short-term spending plan that would keep the government running. The meeting quickly devolved into a shouting match between political factions when Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, declared that his caucus had “reached its breaking point” and demanded that the president deliver on his promise. Many in the room appeared to be on edge due to the pressure of the looming deadline and the lack of progress in negotiations. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy was seen shouting at other members of his party calling on them to “do their job.” The mood was further soured when Meadows made clear his caucus’ willingness to stand behind the president on the issue insisting that $5 billion was “necessary” to fulfill the president’s promise of a border wall. The bitter waves of division continued to reverberate as many members seemed keen on reaching an agreement while other conservatives expressed their willingness to support a one-week extension of the budget in order to keep the government running. Ultimately, the heated debate failed to produce any solution regarding the budget before the midnight deadline, and with the president refusing to budge, a government shutdown could be looming. Politicians of both parties have already begun to take heat from constituents for their inability to keep the government from shutting down. With the deadline fast approaching, it remains to be seen what solutions, if any, the House GOP will come up with to avoid a government shutdown.