WASHINGTON Republican U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy warned members of his caucus on Thursday that they could suffer a political toll if they allow the government to shut down early next month amid a fight over spending.

"Nobody wins in a government shutdown. Nobody wins in a government shutdown," McCarthy told reporters following a closed-door party meeting.

Members of the hardline Republican House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives have vowed not to support spending measures until McCarthy agrees to limit fiscal 2024 spending to a 2022 level of $1.47 trillion, $120 billion below the level he agreed to with Democratic President Joe Biden in May.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Rami Ayyub; Editing by Scott Malone)