Can Midnight Shutdown Be Avoided?
- The Senate needs to pass the first "mini-bus" spending bill and send it to President Biden for approval before midnight on Friday if a partial federal shutdown is to be avoided.
- The House has already passed the bill, though nearly all conservative Republicans voted against it.
- Conservative opposition to this first mini-bus bill foreshadows likely difficulties ahead for House Speaker Mike Johnson as he tries to get the second mini-bus bill through the House before another shutdown deadline, on March 22.
As I write this note, the Senate still hasn’t come up with a plan to pass the so-called “mini-bus” bill. The bill funds the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Housing, Interior, Justice, Transportation and Veterans Affairs for the remainder of the current fiscal year, which runs until October 1.
The bill passed the House on Wednesday on a strong bipartisan vote of 339 Yes to 85 No. The vote demonstrates both a success for Speaker Johnson and the challenge he faces. In this vote, 83 of the 85 NO votes came from the most conservative Republicans. This is something to keep in mind as Speaker Johnson attempts to steer the larger mini-bus bill through in the next two weeks, as that bill’s deadline is March 22.
The first mini-bus bill now must pass the Senate and be signed by the President by midnight if a weekend government shutdown is to be avoided. The hang-up in the Senate is a group of Republicans who are insisting that $12 billion of the money, meant to fund 6,000 earmarks for Members of the House and Senate, be removed from the bill. The Senate Republicans have a non-binding internal rule that earmarks should not be included in spending bills and a group of Republican Senators led by Florida’s Rick Scott are insisting that there be a vote to take out all earmarks. While likely to fail, it is a vote that leaders would like to avoid.
While the betting in DC is that the mini-bus will pass and be signed by the midnight deadline, it may be a long Friday evening for Senators.
Super Tuesday
With Super Tuesday in the books, it now appears certain that this year’s Presidential election will be a replay of 2020, with President Biden facing former President Trump. Last night’s State of the Union (SOTU) was a dress rehearsal for Biden, with the President focusing on immigration, Ukraine, abortion, and the economy. The Republican reply laid out the case that President Biden has failed on both immigration and the economy.
More from the author
Articles Read 1/2
🎁 Unlock 1 extra article by joining our Community!
Stay up to date with the latest articles. You’ll even get special recommendations weekly.
Already have an account? Sign In 5906d2-772a2d-ba3c0f-31ed2d-e34924
Already have an account? Sign In 5906d2-772a2d-ba3c0f-31ed2d-e34924
