Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) signaled anew Wednesday that Democrats would not agree to anything beyond a bare-bones stopgap as long as there was no bipartisan agreement on spending, immigration and other sensitive issues.

That spelled a likely end to any attempt by McConnell to add the health-care legislation at Collins's behest because some Democrats would have to support the move for it to overcome a 60-vote Senate procedural hurdle.

"We cannot do a short-term funding bill that picks and chooses what problems to solve," Schumer said. "That will not be fair and will not pass. We have to do them all together, instead of in a piecemeal fashion."