The government accelerated toward a shutdown on Oct. 1 after the Senate failed Friday to approve a GOP stopgap funding bill and Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats over their demands to include an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies.
The GOP-backed continuing resolution would have extended government funding and authority for several expiring programs, including livestock price reporting and grain inspection standards, until Nov. 21.
The House passed a five-year reauthorization of the federal grain inspection program Sept. 8, but the Senate hasn’t acted on the measure. The bill includes some updates aimed in part at promoting new technology.
Both the House and the Senate are scheduled to be in recess next week because of Rosh Hashanah, and House GOP leaders cancelled votes for Sept. 29 and 30. However, the GOP leadership included this note with that scheduling change: “If Senate Democrats insist on a Schumer Shutdown of the federal government, Members should be prepared to return to DC.”
Schumer is a reference to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who is leading Democratic calls for including extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.
The House approved the Republican continuing resolution 217-212, but it subsequently fell well short of the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate, 44-48, getting support from only one Democrat, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Two Republicans, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted against the measure.
A Democratic alternative failed as well, 47-45.
“The contrast between the Republican bill and the Democrat bill is glaring,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said before the votes. “The Republican bill is a clean, nonpartisan, short-term continuing resolution to fund the government to give us time to do the full appropriations process, and the Democrat bill is the exact opposite.”
Democrats criticized Republicans for refusing to negotiate a bipartisan version.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., noted that President Donald Trump had told congressional Republicans not to negotiate a deal. Democrats are also frustrated that Trump has refused to release congressionally appropriated funding for some programs.
“If you’re asking, am I concerned about the possibility of a shutdown when you’ve got a president who says to the Republicans, don’t talk to Democrats, and where he did a pocket rescission that challenged congressional authority on spending, and where he’s asserted whatever it is we pass he will disregard, that’s a bad setup for a good outcome,” Welch told reporters.
House Freedom Caucus member Chip Roy, R-Texas, cast the House CR as a “win for conservatives.”
“I would have preferred it to be a one-year CR, or a six-month CR” that would have frozen spending at current levels, he added. “But, you know, look, you’ve got to work as a team to build the votes. And so, we’ve now extended funding for seven weeks at flat levels. I mean, honestly, we’re doing a pretty good job holding spending flat,” he said.
Shutdown Moves Closer as GOP-Backed Stopgap Stalls
