
Republican senators are shocked and unnerved by the sudden collapse of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) career in leadership and fear the turmoil in the House will put Congress on the path to a government shutdown. Senators are worried about who will succeed McCarthy and whether that successor will be so beholden to a small group of conservatives that it will be close to impossible to pass spending legislation before government funding runs out before Thanksgiving. While GOP senators occasionally criticized some of McCarthy’s moves, especially his decision to give the...