The government could shut down on Sept. 30 unless the House and Senate can come to an agreement to try to fund the federal government before the fiscal year 2024. 

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has floated a short-term stopgap funding measure to fund the government, but with such a narrow majority, he has very little room for error.

“There are enough moderate Republicans in the House, along with Democrats in the House, to pass a spending bill out of the House that they know the Senate Democrats, which control the Senate, would agree to,” says Chris Faricy, associate professor of political science.

“But in doing that, you risk a backlash from the Freedom Caucus,” he continues. “And in the past, that backlash might be something that the speaker would kind of endure just to get something through, but Speaker McCarthy is in the position where the Freedom Caucus has teeth, where they could actually bring a vote to oust him from speaker.”

“It really is a delicate situation for the House speaker,” Faricy adds.