Last-Minute US Shutdown Deal Unlikely as McCarthy Lacks Leverage

A late deal to avert a US government shutdown beginning this weekend isn’t likely — with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy making big demands of President Joe Biden and bringing little leverage to the clash.

The Republican leader counts as one of his proudest achievements an agreement on long-term spending cuts he extracted from Biden in last spring’s showdown over a potential US debt default and now he wants to use a shutdown to get more concessions.

“I want to sit down with the president to secure that border,” McCarthy told reporters Wednesday, as he and Republican hardliners demanded a resumption ...