Senate sends funding bill to Trump to avert government shutdown

The Senate on Thursday easily cleared a two-week stopgap funding bill, one day before the deadline to avoid a government shutdown.

Once the vote is closed, the bill will head to the White House, where President Trump











is expected to sign it.

Congress had until the end of Friday to pass a bill or spark a government shutdown — something GOP leadership has been adamant they would not let happen while they control the levers of power in Washington.

Lawmakers now face another deadline on Dec. 22, setting up a funding showdown just three days before Christmas.

Top GOP senators urged their colleagues to support the legislation despite grumbling among some in the caucus about the impact a continuing resolution (CR) has on military spending.

“We need this legislation to give Congress and the administration additional time to agree on responsible spending levels for the current fiscal year and beyond. ... I hope the Dec. 22 backstop will facilitate an agreement that will enable the Congress to provide funding for important national security and domestic priorities,” Sen. Thad Cochran











(R-Miss.), the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, said shortly before the Thursday evening vote.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell











(R-Ky.) said that the stopgap measure would “provide us with the time we need to complete discussions on a long-term solution.”

Senate Republicans can’t pass a government funding bill on their own, and needed consent from Democrats to speed up debate of the legislation in order to meet Friday’s deadline.

Democratic leadership remained tight-lipped throughout the week about if they would support a CR as they looked for leverage in negotiations on a final, year-end spending package.

“I don’t know. I think this is likely to pass,” Sen. Dick Durbin











(D-Ill.) told reporters in the lead up to Thursday’s vote.


Negotiators are hoping to get a deal on the budget caps before the Dec. 22 deadline.


An agreement would likely allow lawmakers to pass another CR into January and use the time to craft a "omnibus" spending bill that would fund the government through the rest of the 2018 fiscal year.



If lawmakers aren't able to get a deal on the budget, sequestration is set to start in mid-January, which will spark automatic spending cuts.



McConnell, Minority Leader Charles Schumer











(D-N.Y.), Speaker Paul Ryan











(Wis.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi











(D-Calif.) met with Trump and Vice President Pence at the White House on Thursday to discuss the looming year-end fight.


McConnell told reporters after the meeting that they did not reach an agreement, with Schumer and Pelosi offering a similar take in a joint statement.


“We had a productive conversation on a wide variety of issues. Nothing specific has been agreed to, but discussions continue," they said.


Democrats want an equal increase in defense and non-defense spending, as well as an extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.



The Trump administration announced earlier this year that it was nixing DACA, which allows undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children to live and work. The program will expire in March.



Trump's move has sparked a legislative showdown in the Senate.


Democrats, who say the issue needs to be dealt with by the end of the year, want Republicans to pass a deal that links the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act with border security.


Republicans, and the White House, counter that an immigration deal will not be included in the funding bill.


Sen. James Lankford











(R-Okla.), who introduced legislation that would include a path to citizenship, said on Thursday that lawmakers didn't have time to reach an agreement by the end of the year.

"There's too many outstanding issues. ...There's not enough time to build the coalitions to get a result by the end of the year," he said.

Tags Charles Schumer Mitch McConnell James Lankford Nancy Pelosi Donald Trump Thad Cochran Dick Durbin Paul Ryan

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-actio...avert-shutdown

81-14 it seems like it.

Annnndddd they are gone for the weekend.... Nothing gets me more mad than people that work 60 days a year and make $200k

This is just embarrassing

Any predictions for the 22nd?

we are doomed if nothing passes on the 22nd.

i believe they will though, Pelosi said they ain't leaving w/o a DACA fix this year.

and other domestic issues such as CHIP and increase in military spending needs to be addressed on the 22nd.

Democrats did not stand up and fight for the DreamAct.

They were bluffing and went back on their word. Can someone post a list of Democratic yes votes from the Senate?

Hard to tell if we are going to reach our ideal destination or if our boat is sinking.

Why y’all pressed on a two week extension?

if we think the battle is heated the last 48 hours.

the one that will happen in two weeks will be more heated and divisive.