House Republicans, take the deal you took before

Adeal already exists to avert a U.S. government shutdown. It’s the debt ceiling compromise House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden agreed on in May.

Mr. Biden and Democrats agreed to spending cuts on domestic programs in 2024 and 2025 and a reduction in IRS funding. House Republicans agreed to raising the debt limit and forgoing deeper cuts.

Both sides gave a little, and the result was some real (though modest) savings. As a new budget year approaches in October, all lawmakers have to do is follow the spending levels they agreed to over the summer.

Yet far-right lawmakers are demanding a renegotiation, insisting on substantial cuts to everything but defense and veterans aid — the things they did not get earlier this year — and threatening a government shutdown if they do not get their way.

Mr. McCarthy does not have to bow to these lawmakers’ demands. He can stick to the previous agreement, passing a budget with some votes from House Democrats, and avoid an Oct. 1 shutdown.

Instead, he has tried to get his far right on side, proposing a budget that would slash funding for everything other than defense or veterans by 8%. The bill would fund the government only through October.

That means there would be another hostage-like situation over the 2024 budget again this fall — during which the new, lower spending levels would no doubt be the basis for further demands. The Democraticcontrolled Senate and the White House will not agree to that.

In contrast, May’s deal is fair and reasonable: It boosts funding for defense and veterans while essentially flat-funding the rest of the federal government for two years. It will produce roughly $180 billion in savings for those two years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The Freedom Caucus tries to portray its latest maneuvering as an attempt to restore fiscal prudence as the national debt tops $33 trillion. It’s not. Tackling the nation’s debt burden requires putting everything on the table: tax hikes, budget cuts, and reforms to Social Security and Medicare.

House Republicans refuse to do that — or even launch a bipartisan commission to engage in meaningful discussions. The GOP was also silent on this issue during President Donald Trump’s tenure, when the budget expanded rapidly.

The public needs to see this legislative impasse for what it is: The House Freedom Caucus is demanding a restructuring of a fair bipartisan compromise, and the speaker is accommodating them.