WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a six-month spending bill hours before a government shutdown, overcoming sharp Democratic opposition to the measure. The bill now goes to President Donald Trump to be signed into law. The vote was 54-46. Democrats were frustrated that Republicans went ahead with a measure they said included little input […]
Politics
Senate passes six-month funding bill hours before shutdown deadline
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a six-month spending bill hours before a government shutdown, overcoming sharp Democratic opposition to the measure. The bill now goes to President Donald Trump to be signed into law. The vote was 54-46.
Democrats were frustrated that Republicans went ahead with a measure they said included little input from them and one they claimed shortchanged. But in the end, some of them viewed a shutdown as a worse outcome, and nine of them followed Democratic leader Chuck Schumer’s effort to allow the bill to come to a final vote.
Democrats were confronted two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives President Donald Trump vast discretion on spending decisions or voting no and letting a funding lapse ensue. Alongside Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, a small group of them choose to avoid a shutdown at all costs.
Schumer gave members of his caucus days to vent their frustration about the options before them, but abruptly switched course and made clear on the eve of voting that he will not allow a government shutdown. His move outraged many in the party who want to fight the Trump agenda but gave senators room to side with Republicans and allow the continuing resolution, often described as a CR, to advance.
In a rare move, the House Democratic leadership, which essentially held the line against the bill in their chamber, issued a scathing rejoinder, warning against caving to Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and the Republican agenda marching forward in Congress.
But early Friday, Schumer picked up one unexpected nod of support — from Trump himself, who just a day earlier was gearing up to blame Democrats for any shutdown.
“Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing — Took ‘guts’ and courage!” the president posted on his social media account.
Schumer has acknowledged the difficult choice he faced, but insisted Democrats would not allow a government shutdown and warned of the havoc Trump and Musk could bring if federal offices shuttered.
Congress has been unable to pass the annual appropriations bills designed to fund the government, so they’ve resorted to passing short-term extensions instead. The legislation before the Senate is the third such continuing resolution for the current fiscal year, now nearly half over.
The legislation would fund the federal government through the end of September. It would trim non-defense spending by about $13 billion from the previous year and increase defense spending by about $6 billion, which are marginal changes when talking about a topline spending level of nearly $1.7 trillion.
The Republican-led House passed the spending bill on Tuesday and then adjourned. The move left senators with a decision to either take it or leave it. And while Democrats have been pushing for a vote on a fourth short-term extension, GOP leadership made clear that option was a non-starter.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and others made the case that any blame for a shutdown would fall squarely on Democrats.
“Democrats need to decide if they’re going to support funding legislation that came over from the House, or if they’re going to shut down the government,” Thune said.
Progressive groups urged Democratic lawmakers to insist on the 30-day extension and oppose the spending bill, saying business as usual must not continue.
But Schumer claimed Trump would seize more power during a shutdown, because it would give the administration the ability to deem whole agencies, programs and personnel non-essential, furloughing staff with no promise they would ever be rehired.
Democrats have been critical of the funding levels in the bill. But they are more worried about the discretion the bill gives the Trump administration on spending decisions. Many Democrats are referring to the measure as a “blank check” for Trump.
Spending bills typically come with specific funding directives for key programs, but hundreds of those directives fall away under the continuing resolution passed by the House. So the administration will have more leeway to decide where the money goes.
The spending bill before the Senate is separate from the GOP effort to extend tax cuts for individuals passed in Trump’s first term and to partially pay for them with spending cuts elsewhere in government.
That second package will be developed in the months ahead, but it was clearly part of the political calculus.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said the Democratic arguments for voting against the bill were hypocritical because they were essentially calling for shutting down the government to protect the government.
“Democrats are fighting to withhold the paychecks of air traffic controllers, our troops, federal custodial staff,” Cotton said. “They can’t be serious.”