Republican Disarray Sends US Veering Toward Government Shutdown

House Republicans are charging toward a US government shutdown in less than 10 days as party lawmakers struggle to agree on how much to cut spending and how to explain their brinkmanship to the public.

The GOP’s bitter divisions have made them unable to even formulate a concrete set of demands. That foreshadows an extended standoff with the White House and the Democratic-controlled Senate as the US economy absorbs shocks from the shutdown, autoworkers strike and rising gasoline prices.

And the Republican Party’s presidential front-runner and most prominent figure, Donald Trump, has further complicated the turmoil, presenting the clash ...