US government shutdown looks certain after hard-right Republicans reject plan

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to the media (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open has collapsed as hard-right holdouts rejected the package, making a shutdown almost certain.

Mr McCarthy’s right-flank Republicans refused to support the Bill despite its steep spending cuts of nearly 30% to many agencies and severe border security provisions, calling it insufficient.