Senate Democrats Balk At GOP Funding Bill As Government Shutdown Nears

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats said they do not have the votes to advance a six-month Republican bill to fund the government, potentially increasing the odds of a shutdown when funding lapses on Friday.

“Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans chose a partisan path drafting their [bill] without any input — any input — from congressional Democrats. Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes” in the Senate to advance the bill, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday, urging the GOP to take up a 30-day funding patch while negotiations on a broader agreement continue.

The six-month funding bill, which narrowly passed in the House by a 217-213 tally, needs 60 votes to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. Since deficit hawk Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is opposed, it would need at least 8 Democratic senators to cross the aisle to advance.

Democrats held a contentious debate behind closed doors over how to handle the GOP bill earlier on Wednesday — the second straight day of debate that lasted almost two hours. Attendees aired concerns that the bill would allow President Donald Trump’s administration to continue slashing federal agencies, since the GOP legislation lacks language explicitly forbidding him from doing so. On the other hand, they dreaded the negative consequences of a government shutdown, including Trump potentially keeping certain federal departments shut for good.

“I think it’s an impossible decision,” Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) acknowledged in an interview with HuffPost. “The president’s the one who decides what gets open, what stays closed. And how long will that last? Congress can’t reopen the government without his permission.”

For now, at least, Democrats seem united in pushing for a 30-day bill, even though Republicans say one isn’t on the table. It’s unclear whether they’ll continue to hold firm as the clock ticks down to the shutdown deadline.

“We are unified in not wanting to shut down the government, and what we’re going to do is vote on the short-term [continuing resolution],” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) told reporters, referring to the short-term funding patch that Senate Republicans are not considering right now.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) suggested Democrats may seek a vote on an amendment to the bill in exchange for their support to advance it later this week. That amendment, a 30-day funding bill, would give Democrats a chance to save face with their left flank and give Republicans “an escape” out of the impasse.

“Everybody in the caucus wants an opportunity to vote for a clean 30-day [bill] that puts us on a pathway to regular, legit appropriations,” Whitehouse said. “So it’s not an unreasonable ask to say, if you want cloture, you’d better give us a vote.”

Republicans, meanwhile, accused Democrats of seeking to shut the government down.

“We’re about to find out whether Senate Democrats care more about the American people or putting on a dramatic act for their base,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote in a post on social media. “Let’s hope we can avoid the Schumer Shut Down.”

“Republicans have done our job―it’s time for Senate Democrats to do theirs,” he added.