Lawmakers in the House overwhelmingly voted down a motion to adjourn Friday morning, with just 12 hours to go until a government shutdown.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer forced a roll call vote on the motion to adjourn after telling lawmakers they should stay to “do our work.”
The motion failed with 418 no votes, 1 yes vote—cast by eccentric Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie—and one “present” vote, which was cast by Pennsylvania Democrat Dwight Evans.
Hoyer took to the House floor after the motion failed to say he was urging Democrats to stay in Washington to be prepared to vote on a measure to keep the government open. House Republicans at first seemed likely to call it quits for the week Friday morning as the odds of a deal on the CR were looking slim, but they changed their tune as the morning progressed.
“They appeared committed to sending us home, but it seems they began to worry about someone objecting to [unanimous consent] on a short-term bridge CR,” one Republican member told TWS. “One person could force everyone to fly back to D.C. for a floor vote.”
The House will likely stay in town to be ready to approve a last-minute stopgap government funding bill if the Senate can reach an agreement on the issue.
A continuing resolution that would keep the government running through February 16 passed the House Thursday night, but it was met with opposition in the Senate. The CR would fully fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years and would also delay several Obamacare taxes.
Many Senate Democrats oppose the measure because an agreement has not yet been reached to protect 700,000 unauthorized immigrants who came to the United States as children. Democrats say they have enough ‘no’ votes to kill the bill. Several Senate Republicans have joined them in opposing it, including Sens. Lindsey Graham, Mike Rounds, Rand Paul, and potentially Mike Lee.
Senate Republicans were preparing for a shutdown as conditions worsened throughout the day Thursday, and the situation appeared unimproved Friday morning. But the crisis could still be averted in the little amount of time remaining. President Donald Trump reportedly invited Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to the White House Friday afternoon to attempt to strike a deal.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will need 60 votes to pass the CR, requiring Democratic support. Republicans, unable thus far to garner that support, have preemptively kicked off a heated round of the blame game. Branding it the “Schumer Shutdown,” GOP leaders argue Senate Democrats will be responsible for the shutdown if Congress can’t pass a stopgap bill before midnight on Friday.
“Let’s fulfill the core responsibilities of Congress. Let’s fund the government, provide for the American people, and then resume serious negotiations on the issues that matter most,” said McConnell in a floor speech Friday morning. “Let’s fund the government for a full month, so we can actually get something done.”
