Senate Democrats on Friday blocked a Home-passed invoice to fund federal departments and businesses for seven weeks, placing Washington on the trail to a authorities shutdown on Oct. 1.
Democrats got here collectively in close to unison to defeat the measure on a 44-48 vote, with solely Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) voting for the Republican-drafted proposal, which handed the Home earlier Friday by a vote of 217-212.
Two Republicans voted in opposition to the Home-passed CR: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), an outspoken fiscal hawk, who argued it could extend Biden-era spending ranges, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a centrist who has voiced grave considerations concerning the Medicaid cuts Trump signed into regulation earlier this 12 months.
Democrats blocked the Home-passed persevering with decision, which might fund authorities till Nov. 21, after Republicans defeated an alternate Democratic proposal to fund authorities till Oct. 31, prolong medical health insurance subsidies, and restore practically $1 trillion in Medicaid funding cuts.
The 2 failed votes depart Republican and Democratic leaders at loggerheads over how you can keep away from a authorities shutdown in solely 11 days.
Senate Majority Chief John Thune (R-S.D.) put stress on Democrats to assist the Home-passed stopgap funding measure, portraying it as the one invoice that has an opportunity of getting President Trump’s signature to turn out to be regulation.
“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,” he mentioned on the ground.
The GOP chief reiterated that he has little interest in assembly with Senate Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) to barter a compromise measure to maintain the federal government open.
“I made it very clear that I wanted the Senate to return to regular order consideration of appropriations bills. I was not and am not interested in funding government through last-minute backroom deals,” Thune mentioned.
Democrats are urgent Republicans to connect language to the persevering with decision to increase well being care premium subsidies below the Inexpensive Care Act which are as a result of expire on the finish of the 12 months.
Schumer on Friday mentioned Republicans could be liable for a shutdown as a result of they’re refusing to barter with Democrats on the funding plan regardless of needing Democratic votes to move it by way of the Senate.
Schumer identified the federal government didn’t shut down when Joe Biden was president they usually managed the Senate majority as a result of they have been prepared to barter.
“When we were in the majority for four years, there was not a shutdown. Not one. Why? Because we did what you’re supposed to do — talk in a bipartisan negotiation and each side has input,” he advised Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (Wyo.) throughout a heated second on the Senate ground Friday.
“We did it the right way. You are not,” he declared.
Republican leaders on Friday advised Home members to not return to Washington till after the funding deadline expires, canceling scheduled votes on Sept. 29 and 30. The gambit provides Democrats the ultimatum of reconsidering the Home-passed persevering with decision or triggering a shutdown.
“If Senate Democrats insist on a Schumer Shutdown of the federal government, Members should be prepared to return to DC,” the discover despatched to members reads.
Some Democratic senators are feeling uncomfortable about their management’s dangerous confrontation over authorities funding, worrying {that a} shutdown might wind up giving Trump extra energy to reorganize federal departments and businesses and cherry-pick which federal employees are important and should proceed to work and which employees might be furloughed indefinitely.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) advised The Hill that fellow Democrats’ fixed warnings that Trump’s overzealous use of energy is taking the nation on the highway to “autocracy” is at odds with their uncompromising place on the short-term funding invoice.
Fetterman is warning colleagues {that a} shutdown would solely hand extra energy to Trump and Russ Vought, the director of the Workplace of Administration and Finances, one thing that Schumer himself warned of in March when he voted for a partisan Home-GOP crafted six-month proceed decision.
“If Democrats truly believe we’re on a rocket sled to autocracy, why would we hand a shuttered government over to Trump and Vought’s woodchipper at the OMB?” Fetterman mentioned in a press release.
“I’m unwilling to vote for mass chaos and run that risk,” he added.
However many different Democrats assume they’ve leverage over the White Home and Republicans in Congress due to rising medical health insurance premiums and the unpopularity of their One Huge, Stunning Invoice Act, which reduce $1 trillion from Medicaid.
Some Democrats assume even when they don’t win any concessions from Republicans throughout a authorities shutdown, they’ll rating political factors by highlighting GOP opposition to extending the improved ACA premium subsidies and restoring Medicaid.
“Today we have a rare moment in the Senate where two bills come to the floor that truly crystallize the contrast between the two parties,” Schumer mentioned earlier than the vote.
“The choice is clear now. Our Republican colleagues seem to think Americans are happy with the direction of this country. They’re voting like they think the status quo is good enough, even though they’ve heard from so many of their constituents the fear of hospitals closing, of health care being diminished, of premiums going way up,” he mentioned.
The choice Democratic authorities funding stopgap would have completely prolonged the improved medical health insurance premium subsidies at a price of $349.8 billion over ten years.
