WASHINGTON — Congress has 12 days left to approve a short-term authorities funding invoice earlier than the shutdown deadline, although leaders within the Republican Home and Democratic Senate haven’t felt the necessity to begin negotiations simply but.
Home GOP leaders, as a substitute, tried to move a six-month persevering with decision Wednesday that carried with it a invoice requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, however have been unsuccessful.
The 202-220 vote within the Home included a sure vote from South Dakota Republican Dusty Johnson, with two members voting current and 14 Republicans in opposition. It got here shortly after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump known as on lawmakers to drive a authorities shutdown as leverage to enact the voter ID regulation.
“If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and each ounce of it, they need to not conform to a Persevering with Decision in any means, form, or type,” Trump wrote on social media, doubling down on a shutdown assertion he made final week.
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The unsuccessful Home vote may present house for Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, to barter with the Senate.
However, with only one week left within the session earlier than Congress departs for a six-week election break, there’s not a lot time for leaders to seek out consensus, draft a invoice, maintain votes in each chambers and safe President Joe Biden’s signature.
Johnson, requested repeatedly by reporters Wednesday about the opportunity of a shutdown, didn’t completely rule out a funding lapse starting on Oct. 1.
“We’ll see what occurs with the invoice,” Johnson mentioned earlier than the vote. “We’re on the sector in the course of the sport, the quarterback is looking the play, we’re going to run the play.”
Blaming the Senate
Johnson criticized the Senate for not being additional alongside within the annual appropriations course of, searching for to position the blame for a stopgap spending invoice and a doable shutdown on that chamber.
The Senate Appropriations Committee accepted 11 full-year authorities funding payments with broadly bipartisan votes this summer time, however skilled challenges with the Homeland Safety funding measure.
The Home Appropriations Committee accepted all dozen of its payments alongside party-line votes and was in a position to transfer 5 of these throughout the ground with GOP help, however not broad backing from Democrats.
Home and Senate leaders haven’t allowed the 2 chambers to start conferencing the payments which have both handed out of committee or off the ground, regardless of that being an everyday prevalence in previous years.
It’s extremely unlikely leaders will carry any extra of the full-year spending payments to the ground this fall, making the election outcomes the most important piece of the puzzle that may change between now and the top of the calendar yr.
McConnell: Shutdown can be ‘politically, past silly’
Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has repeatedly known as on his colleagues to keep away from a shutdown, although he hasn’t jumped in to barter a stopgap invoice and doesn’t appear inclined to take action.
“I feel we first have to attend and see what the Home sends us,” McConnell mentioned throughout a Tuesday press convention. “My solely remark about this complete dialogue is the one factor you can’t have is a authorities shutdown. It might be, politically, past silly for us to do this proper earlier than the election as a result of, actually, we’d get the blame.”
McConnell then referenced the saying that there’s no “training within the second kick of a mule” and famous funding the federal government for a couple of extra months will “in the end find yourself being a dialogue between” Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer and Johnson.
“I’m for no matter avoids a authorities shutdown,” McConnell added.
Election yr drama
Leaning on a stopgap spending invoice has been an everyday a part of Congress’ annual appropriations course of for almost three many years. Throughout that point, lawmakers have persistently didn’t approve all of the full-year authorities funding payments earlier than the Oct. 1 deadline.
The September wrestle to approve a unbroken decision, which is meant to provide lawmakers a bit extra time to achieve bicameral settlement on the full-year spending payments, has grow to be more and more dramatic with election-year politics ratcheting up the posturing this yr.
In divided authorities, any laws to fund the federal government have to be bipartisan, or all of it however ensures a shutdown.
The Home’s failed six-month persevering with decision additionally wasn’t supported by most Senate Republicans.
GOP senators argued it was too prolonged and will have hindered that chamber’s means to verify the following president’s Cupboard through the first few months of 2025.
Senate Republicans and protection hawks within the Home additionally mentioned that leaving the Division of Protection on autopilot for half of the following fiscal yr was an abdication of Congress’ accountability and a menace to nationwide safety.
December finish date eyed
The ultimate stopgap spending invoice that Congress approves within the days forward will seemingly final by means of Dec. 20, the ultimate day this yr that Congress is scheduled to be in session. It is usually unlikely to incorporate the voter registration ID part.
That closing, bipartisan persevering with decision may additionally embody a plus-up in spending for the Secret Service or a provision that permits the company to spend its stopgap allocation at a sooner fee to bolster Trump’s safety following two obvious assassination makes an attempt.
Florida Republican Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, chairman of the State-Overseas Operations spending panel, mentioned Wednesday that if he was a betting man, he’d count on Congress to move a stopgap spending invoice by means of mid-December.
“The very first thing is, we will’t have a shutdown,” Díaz-Balart mentioned. “I feel most individuals right here perceive that that might be catastrophic, significantly when half the world is in flames.”
Throughout a authorities shutdown, some federal staff proceed reporting to the workplace with out pay whereas the remainder are furloughed till Congress approves a brand new funding invoice. All federal staff impacted by a shutdown obtain again pay.
A shutdown this October would have an effect on all of the departments and companies funded throughout the annual course of, together with the departments of Agriculture, Protection, Well being and Human Companies, Homeland Safety and State.
Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, chairman of the Inside-Setting appropriations subcommittee, mentioned he was positive there can be no shutdown however didn’t element how precisely Congress would dealer a bipartisan settlement within the days forward.
“I don’t suppose anyone needs to close the federal government down,” Simpson mentioned. “That’s not a viable choice.”