September 22, 2023
Can the Senate swoop in and save us from a government shutdown in just a few days?
Well – let’s not hold our breath – but that is an option currently in the works.
I’ve been reporting that the house is completely paralyzed. The Republicans who of course – control the House – can’t come to a deal within their own caucus to figure out a way to fund the government. And I’m not even talking about a funding plan for the full fiscal year – I’m talking about just a short-term spending bill to keep the government open for like a month. It’s up to the Republicans to figure it out and so far – they haven’t been able to.
So today – the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he is going to try and cut a deal with the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to keep the government open through a short-term spending plan – called a continuing resolution. That deal – if it becomes a reality – according to Schumer – would likely include the extra $12 billion in funding for FEMA to deal with natural disasters across the country and could include aid for Ukraine. It’s worth noting – while a large group of House Republicans oppose any more Ukraine funding — most republican Senators support it– including Senator McConnell who just talked about it this week.
And McConnell has said many times he’s motivated to get something done. Why? As I’ve reported, government shutdowns always hurt republicans at the ballot box.
So, *if* Schumer and McConnell can figure out a deal and get a continuing resolution passed through the senate, then what?
Well – it totally puts House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a total political pickle.
He could ignore the Senate’s bill and hope that his House Republican conference reaches a deal and gets something passed before next Friday’s government shutdown – which seems like a stretch.
Or he can put the Senate continuing resolution up for a vote on the House floor which has a very good chance of passing and would avoid a government shutdown. But would almost certainly guarantee that his far-right Republican House colleagues would try to remove him as Speaker.
As I reported in this video yesterday, the Speaker McCarthy sent house members home yesterday for the whole weekend because they were nowhere near a deal. They aren’t expected to return until next week. But the clock is ticking. If there is no deal between the House and Senate and signed by the President by next Friday, the government will shut down.
