Senate Democrats stayed true to their threat by blocking a behemoth funding package, but in a surprising turn of events, they were joined by several Senate Republicans to derail the legislation.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus made it no secret that they would obstruct the government funding process over the last several days, demanding that Republicans strip the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill from the six-bill package.
But the defection of seven GOP lawmakers – Sens. Ted Budd, R-N.C., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Mike Lee, R- Utah, Ashley Moody, R-Fla., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. – was an unexpected development on Thursday.
Senate Democrats are willing to support the five other bills in the package, however, and have reiterated that bundle would easily pass if given the chance.
‘Democrats are ready to avert a shutdown,’ said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
‘We have five bills we all agree on. About 95% of the remaining budget. It is ready to go,’ she continued. ‘We can pass those five bills, no problem. All Leader Thune has to do is tee them up for a vote.’
But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., sought to call their bluff and barreled forward with the key test vote, which would have opened up several hours of debate and eventually a final vote to send the package to President Donald Trump’s desk.
Ahead of the vote, Thune said he hoped that conversations between the White House and Senate Democrats would produce the ‘the votes that are necessary to get it passed.’
Thune threw cold water on Senate Democrats’ several demands for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) making their way into the current package, too.
‘That’s not going to happen in this bill, but there are, I mean, there’s a path to consider some of those things and negotiate that out between Republicans, Democrats, House, Senate, White House,’ Thune said. ‘But that’s not gonna happen in this bill.’
With the six-bill package, which included major funding bills for the Pentagon and other agencies, now scuttled, Senate Republicans and the White House are looking for a plan B to keep the government open or to at least minimize the damage from a partial shutdown.
One option gaining momentum among Republicans would be to strip the DHS funding bill from the broader package, advance the smaller, five-bill bundle and then turn to a short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), for just Homeland Security.
And there are ongoing negotiations among Senate Democrats and the White House on that particular idea.
A White House official told Fox News Digital in a statement, ‘President Trump has been consistent — he wants the government to remain open, and the Administration has been working with both parties to ensure the American people don’t have to endure another shutdown.’
‘A shutdown would risk disaster response funding and more vital resources for the American people,’ the official said.
But taking that route presents several hurdles and challenges, particularly with the House out until next week.
That’s because any modification to the current six-bill package would require the lower chamber to agree to it. The same is true for any CR that the Senate produces for DHS.
Schumer pinned the possibility of a shutdown on Thune, arguing that if he just put the five-bill package on the floor, Senate Democrats would support it.
‘Well, let me tell you first, if funding lapses, it’s all because of Leader Thune,’ Schumer said. ‘It’s on his back.’
House Republicans have already signaled their unwillingness to support a modified funding package, and turning to a CR is a simmering taboo that many Republicans in the lower chamber aren’t likely to be happy with.
But it’s an option that could be gaining steam with Schumer and the White House, despite Trump administration officials blaming the top Senate Democrat for canning a meeting among rank-and-file Senate Democrats and the administration on Wednesday.
Turning to a CR would be an about-face for Senate Democrats, too. Last week they argued that a short-term extension for DHS would amount to a ‘slush fund’ for Trump and the administration to use in their immigration operations with no guardrails.