Senate Democrats voted Thursday to dam the annual, full-year Protection appropriations invoice, regardless of the measure passing out of committee with robust bipartisan help earlier this 12 months.
The vote is the newest signal of deteriorating bipartisan relations on Capitol Hill as the federal government shutdown drags into a 3rd week.
The Senate voted 50-44 in opposition to continuing to the invoice after Senate Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) objected to contemplating the Protection spending invoice with out additionally voting on the annual Labor, Well being and Human Companies appropriations invoice. It wanted 60 votes to advance.
“It’s always been unacceptable to Democrats to do the Defense bill without other bills that have so many things that are important to the American people in terms of health care, in terms of housing, in terms of safety,” Schumer informed reporters earlier than the vote.
Three centrist Democrats voted to advance the measure: Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), John Fetterman (Pa.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
Cortez Masto and Fetterman have beforehand voted for a Home-passed invoice to reopen the federal government whereas Shaheen has been on the heart of talks with Republican colleagues about discovering a deal to finish the shutdown.
Senate Majority Chief John Thune (R-S.D.) threw a curveball into negotiations over ending the shutdown Wednesday when he teed up the full-year funding invoice, stunning Democrats and daring them to vote in opposition to a measure that may enable army service members to be paid.
A number of centrist members of the Democratic caucus had been on the fence about voting to proceed to the Protection invoice whereas they had been awaiting phrase on whether or not it could be paired with the Labor, Well being and Human Companies funding invoice different non-defense appropriations payments.
“I’m still trying to determine what the plan is. If the plan is to bring forth as a substitute the Senate [defense] bill and the Labor [Health and Human Services] bill, then yes. If the plan is to simply run [the defense bill] by itself, then the answer is no,” Sen. Angus King (Maine), an impartial who caucuses with Democrats, stated when requested whether or not he would vote to advance the protection measure.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) additionally stated earlier than the vote that he was unsure how he would vote till he knew extra about how the Protection invoice can be packaged with different payments.
The $852 billion Protection appropriations invoice handed out of committee with robust bipartisan help in July, advancing by a vote of 26-3.
Thune framed Thursday’s vote as an necessary alternative to pay greater than one million army service members who’re vulnerable to lacking paychecks throughout an prolonged shutdown.
“If we can’t reopen the entire government, we can at least make some progress toward securing paychecks for our troops and for defending our country,” he stated on the Senate flooring earlier than the vote.
President Trump over the weekend stated he has directed Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth to make use of “all available funds” to make sure members of the army receives a commission in the course of the shutdown.
Senators in each events, nonetheless, don’t have a lot details about what funds the Trump administration is tapping into or what authorized authority it’s relying upon.
The vote on the protection invoice adopted an earlier vote on a Home-passed persevering with decision to fund the federal government by Nov. 21. Senate Democrats defeated that measure for the tenth time.
The Senate is predicted to adjourn for the week and reconvene on Monday to renew the talk over reopening the federal government.
