House plans Thursday vote on clean government funding bill to extend spending through November
This is cobbled together from speaking to multiple sources on both sides of the Capitol.The House is now aiming to vote Thursday on the “clean” interim spending bill which would fund the government through November 27. But Republicans must first get the bill through the House.Several senior House Republican sources said that they were still talking to the “usual suspects.” Republicans can only lose two votes to pass a bill on their own.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) expressed confidence he could hold all of his Democrats together and oppose the bill. Jeffries said that will be the focus of a Democratic Caucus on Thursday.It is also still not a done deal that the House would move on Thursday.This could slip to Friday.There is now the distinct possibility of a weekend session in the Senate, potentially Saturday.Here’s why:If the House approves the government funding package, this must go through two rounds of “cloture” to break a filibuster.
That needs 60 yeas.It is advantageous to Senate Republicans to have the House approve the bill Thursday. If so, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) can file cloture to set up a test vote on Saturday.
By rule, the Senate cannot take that test vote without an “intervening day.”To wit:Let’s say the House theoretically approves the bill on Thursday.Thune gets the bill on Thursday and files cloture to cut off debate and break a filibuster.
Friday is the “intervening day.” That tees up a procedural vote just to get onto the bill (needing 60 yeas) on Saturday in the Senate.But if the House votes (and passes) the CR on Friday, none of this can happen until Sunday.There’s the rub:Multiple Senate Republicans want to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral in Arizona on Sunday.So, a Saturday scenario is much better for the GOP.Why not wait until Monday, you may ask?Well, the Senate is scheduled to be out for Rosh Hashanah next week.Same with the House.
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown...