Conservatives Aim to Use Debt Deal to Push for Domestic Spending Cuts, Risking Shutdown Showdown
• House conservatives now see the summer debt deal as a way to cut domestic spending through automatic cuts or caps.
• The cuts would hit non-defense funding Democrats want to protect much harder than defense.
• Speaker Kevin McCarthy risks backlash from the right if he strikes a lopsided spending deal with mostly Democratic support.
• McCarthy vows no more short-term funding patches, but faces pressure as the Jan. 19 shutdown deadline nears.
• Ex-Trump budget director Russ Vought is advising conservatives on using the debt deal to extract cuts and policy concessions.