Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged his fellow Republicans not to oppose a short-term government spending bill and called the Democrats’ opposition to the legislation an “irresponsible position.”
McConnell, R-Ky., issued the warning to his GOP colleagues in a letter sent Thursday, which was obtained by The Daily Beast. The majority leader asked Republicans to “stick together.”
“We should all plan to stay through this weekend if Senate Democrats follow through and are willing to shut down the government and the Children’s Health Insurance Program because they have yet to conclude a deal on [the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program],” McConnell said in the letter. “This is an irresponsible position to take as everything from pay for our military to processing Social Security checks will be affected. I hope not a single Republican is inclined to join them.”
Congress has until Friday night to pass a government spending bill, and if it fails to do so, the government will partially shut down.
Republicans released a short-term spending bill that will fund the government until Feb. 16 and reauthorizes the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years. The legislation did not include a deal addressing Dreamers, the name given to those who were brought to the United States illegally as children.
The bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said there is “broad” opposition from Democrats in the upper chamber.
Some senators, notably Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are vowing to oppose the stopgap spending bill unless lawmakers reach a deal addressing DACA and Dreamers.
Trump announced last year that DACA, which provided protections for Dreamers from deportation, would end in March.
Graham and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., were expected to introduce an immigration bill Wednesday, but President Trump has already expressed opposition.
McConnell has said he won’t bring an immigration bill to the floor unless it has the support of the president.
In his letter to Republicans, the majority leader said he believes the party can together draft strong spending and DACA deals.
“I know we are all frustrated by the pace of negotiations on spending, but joining Democrats to shut down the government plays right into the Democrats’ hand,” he wrote. “We are strongest when we stick together — that will produce the best spending deal and the best DACA deal — one that has a chance of being enacted into law.”
