House Democratic opposition to a stalled $1.1 trillion spending bill held strong late Thursday despite a White House plea to accept the package ahead of a midnight expiration of existing federal funding.
Democrats emerged from a closed-door meeting with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough saying that he failed to convince enough Democrats needed to push the bill over the finish line.
“There’s no consensus,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon told reporters huddled outside the meeting room. “There is only discussion.”
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, when asked how close Democrats were to a resolution, said flatly, “I don’t know.”
Republican leaders postponed an afternoon vote after opposition from liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans threatened the measure needed to keep the government funded past Thursday.
A shutdown of government agencies at midnight isn’t imminent, as Congress has two backup plans: pass a stopgap bill lasting a few days, or one lasting three months.
As of mid-Thursday evening it was uncertain which approach House Republicans leaders would take.
The larger spending bill — which would essentially keep government funding at current levels through September — seemed destined to pass without delay earlier this week, as Republican and Democratic leaders in both chambers signed off on the bill. But leadership didn’t count on the rising anger from liberal Democrats who oppose a provision to roll back a Wall Street reform measure.
And while Republicans conformably control the chamber, GOP leaders need Democratic support to counter the dozens of conservatives who oppose the measure because it doesn’t block Obama’s recent directive to stem illegal immigrant deportations.
The White House has been pressing Democrats to accept the bill, with President Obama personally calling Democrats Thursday asking for their support.
McDonough briskly walked out of his meeting with House Democrats at the Capitol after an hour and 15 minutes, telling reporters “it was a great opportunity” and that he “really appreciated it” but saying nothing else.
Rep. Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania said McDonough made “a very strong pitch” but that the situation remained “fluid,” and that there are House Democrats “with a variety of opinions on it.”
“But you can be assured there will be a resolution,” he said. “We’re going to go forward and see if we can get through the night. Hang in there everyone.”
But When DeFazio was asked if McDonough swayed any of the bill’s opponents, including himself, he said, “I don’t think so.”
The liberal Oregon lawmaker said he would have a difficult time facing his constituents if he supported a bill that “facilitat[ed] a bailout of Wall Street or [did] special favors for Wall Street and billionaires.”
Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia suggested it would be foolish for his party colleagues to reject it.
“We got virtually everything that the Democrats tried to get” in the bill, he said after the meeting with McDonough. “If we let this bill go down, it’s travesty. And in three months, the Democrats are going to look back and say, ‘what did we do to ourselves and our constituency?’”
