Update, 9:54 p.m. ET: The Senate voted overwhelmingly 97-2 to proceed on the House CR late Thursday night. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell objected to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s attempt to force a cloture vote Thursday night, pushing the final vote closer to the government shutdown deadline Friday night. McConnell’s move could add pressure on vulnerable Democrats to support the measure, but it will also make it more difficult to renegotiate a viable CR if the House version fails. A cloture vote on the bill, which will require 60 votes to pass, is expected Friday morning.
***
Just 30 hours away from a government shutdown, House Republican leaders insisted Thursday afternoon that they had enough votes to pass a short-term spending bill that would keep the government running through February 16. (House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, meanwhile, promised the measure did not yet have enough support to pass).
If the House does pass the funding bill, it was clear Thursday afternoon that the biggest challenge for the party lies in the Senate.
“Right now, this CR doesn’t have 50 votes, nevermind 60 votes,” Senator Chris Murphy told reporters Thursday afternoon.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will need help from Democrats to squeeze the bill through the chamber with 60 votes. But finding those votes is proving to be an uphill climb.
At least three Republican senators—Lindsey Graham, Mike Rounds, and Rand Paul—have come out against the House CR. That tally could also include Mike Lee, who has consistently voted against short-term spending bills in the past.
Making the math even more difficult, Senator John McCain won’t be able to add his vote to the bill, because he is in Arizona for ongoing cancer treatments.
And Democrats, under pressure to fight for a DACA replacement before supporting a spending bill that doesn’t include protections for nearly 700,000 unauthorized immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, are weighing their options.
Several Democrats have come out against the bill, such as senators Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Dick Durbin, and Tom Carper, while others told reporters they were still considering it.
“I am leaning no, but I am looking forward to a robust conversation,” said Senator Chris Coons, who predicted earlier this week that a government shutdown was more likely than not.
In December, 17 Senate Democrats voted for the most recent continuing resolution, which also didn’t include a fix for DACA. But party leaders are urging members to oppose the measure this time. In several floor speeches this week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has expressed his frustration with stalled DACA negotiations and has argued that any government shutdown that ensues would be the responsibility of Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House.
Republicans are hoping their full, six-year extension of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is included in the stopgap measure, will be enough to win over some Democrats in order to get to the bill to the president’s desk before funding runs out at midnight on Friday. And to tip the scale, McConnell will likely put pressure on vulnerable lawmakers from red and purple states.
“I don’t feel pressure,” Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown insisted Thursday afternoon. He told reporters he hasn’t made a final decision but added that he does “care a lot about CHIP.”
Yet others from states President Donald Trump carried in the 2016 election may be feeling some heat.
“I’m just not in support of shutting the government down,” said West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin. “I think we can work through it.”
Newly sworn in Democrat Doug Jones of Alabama criticized the notion of another CR and argued stopgap funding bills are not a healthy way to run a government.
But Jones refused to say he would vote against the spending bill, telling reporters he hadn’t made a decision yet.
Some senators kicked around the idea of passing a much shorter extension of government funding to give Congress just enough time to work through immigration talks and budget caps deal. Sen. Jerry Moran proposed a CR that would fund operations for just a couple of days, which would be able to get more support from Democrats and others who oppose the House’s plan.
“I’ll vote for one more, short-term, but that’s it,” said Graham, who opposes the month-long CR. Graham’s definition of “short-term” remained unclear.
But Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas quickly shot down that idea. Senate GOP leaders are full steam ahead on advancing the House plan—and are also quietly planning for a potential shutdown.
According to Politico, McConnell sent an email to GOP senators Thursday afternoon telling them to be prepared to stay through the weekend if government funds run out.
“This is an irresponsible position to take as everything from pay for our military to processing social security checks will be affected,” McConnell wrote. “I hope not a single Republican is inclined to join them.”
