Will the US face another government shutdown this fall? What to know as Senate tussle over funding bill intensifies
Senate Republicans and some Democrats fear another government shutdown is looming this fall, after bipartisan spending talks broke down this week and forcing Republicans to cancel the markup of four appropriations bills set for Thursday.
Why fears of a shutdown are growing
Republicans believe Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wants another showdown over government funding right before the midterm election, as per The Hill.
“I think my Democratic friends at the direction of Sen Schumer are not going to agree to a top-line [spending number] and they’re not going to agree to vote for any appropriations bill, and Sen Schumer is going to shut down government,” said Sen John Kennedy (R-La), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
This concern grew after talks between Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen Patty Murray (D-Wash), the top Democrat on the panel, stalled. Collins canceled Thursday’s markup of four bills, as Sen Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) was absent this week due to a health issue and she couldn’t count on Democratic votes to pass the bills out of her committee.
Last year, the Senate Appropriations Committee had passed many spending bills with strong bipartisan support but with the midterm election close, “Last year was not an election year,” Kennedy noted. Sen Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, said, “Democrats want to shut us down… Hopefully we can solve the problem. There’s no support on the other side.”
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Democrats blame republicans for the standoff
Democrats say another shutdown is possible but argue it would be Republicans’ fault since they control the White House and both chambers of Congress.
Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn) said another shutdown could be on the table this fall. “These guys are the Keystone Cops. They don’t know how to run the government, so a shutdown is always possible,” he said.
Schumer had earlier accused Collins of refusing to meet with Democratic negotiators, which Collins strongly denied. Senior Democrats said Republicans are pushing for a much bigger increase in defense spending compared to nondefense spending. “The ratio of four-and-a-half to one, the increase in defense over nondefense. We think that’s way out of line,” said Sen Dick Durbin (D-Ill).
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Republicans prepare for possible shutdown
Many Democrats felt they won last year’s fight after forcing a record 43-day shutdown over healthcare costs, pushing Republicans like Sen Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to plan a messaging strategy blaming Democrats for any new shutdown. Scott sent a letter urging Republicans to prepare for a shutdown battle in September and October, writing, “Democrats have been clear that they want to shut down government on October 1st because they believe that is their path to a majority in November… Republicans want to fund the government.”
Senate Republicans planned to discuss their strategy for a possible October shutdown with President Trump on Wednesday, as per The Hill.
Collins said she would prefer Congress pass more appropriations bills instead of relying on a continuing resolution but admitted a stopgap might be needed. “We’re going to need a CR for part of government… CRs create a lot of problems,” she said.