It may be summer.But fall is consuming the United States Senate.Bipartisan lawmakers are trying to avoid a government shutdown."The fiscal year begins October 1st each year," said Sen.
Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa."This resolution keeps the government open for business."The House approved an interim spending bill in July to keep the government funded through December 4.
But bipartisan senators are trying to duck yet another protracted government shutdown odyssey, like last year’s 43-day exercise.HOUSE GOP VOTES TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BATTLE TO AFTER NOVEMBER MIDTERMSA shutdown occurs when Congress and the president fail to sign into law 12 appropriations bills to continue providing funding for government operations.(Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)"I look forward to passing this bill in the next few days," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.The measure funds the government with a fiscal Band-Aid through December 11 – well after the midterms.
But Democratic buy-in is paramount.The main reason the government closed last fall was because Senate Democrats refused to provide votes to break a filibuster on the GOP plan.
Democrats protested a lapse in Obamacare subsidies – and hoped to underscore to voters that Republicans were vulnerable on health care.Now Democrats are on board.
The Senate curbed a filibuster on the bill with a vote tally of 89-4.The question is when the Senate will pass the bill.
And what happens when senators send this to the House."We want to fund the government and avoid a shutdown," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.Ironically, funding the government may be the easiest thing before the Senate right now.There are all sorts of lists out there.Santa’s list.
Hollywood’s blacklist.Craigslist.
And bucket lists.But no list is more daunting than what the Senate is trying to accomplish over the next few days.
And truth be told, the Senate might not check much off its list at all.Senators are bewildered about what t...