Here's What Republicans And Democrats In Congress Are Doing To Avoid A Government Shutdown On Friday
If Congress and President Donald Trump don't agree on legislation to fund the federal government by the end of the day on Friday, December 8, the government will shut down. Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress, but they need at least eight Democratic votes in the Senate to pass a spending package. Republicans are currently trying to extend the shutdown deadline with a temporary funding measure, while Democrats are figuring out which issues they're not willing to negotiate on. Here's what's going on.
Republicans Are Hoping To Pass A Temporary Stopgap To Fund The Government Through December 22
Everyone in Washington has known about the December 8 deadline for months, but that hasn't stopped Republicans from asking for a deadline extension. This week, Republican leaders are working to pass a stopgap bill that would fund the government for two more weeks to give them more time to negotiate a longterm funding bill.
The stopgap spending measure would provide more time for negotiations between the two parties over raising strict spending caps that were imposed in 2011 as they try to work toward a long-term spending deal for the 2018 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1.
In a deal to raise the limits, defense hawks want a sizable increase in military spending. But Democrats are pushing to ensure that nondefense spending is increased by the same amount as military spending. Once congressional leaders reach a deal on raising the caps, a long-term spending package can be negotiated. Lawmakers could pass another stopgap spending measure later in December to keep the government open until that long-term package is ready to be voted on.
Some Republicans Think The Two-Week Extension Will Put Them In A Bad Position
Republican leadership notwithstanding, some rank-and-file Congressional Republicans are worried that creating a new deadline a few days before Christmas will box Republicans into a corner when it comes to negotiations.
Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, warned of an "end-of-year Christmas party of spending with Democrats."
"The budgeting never goes good when everybody loads up the Christmas tree," Brat said. "You got to give me one heck of a good argument for a two-week [continuing resolution]. I haven't heard it yet."
[Politico]
Republicans Are Using CHIP As A Bargaining Chip
Congress let federal funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to lapse at the end of September, and both sides say they want to find a way to keep it funded. Republicans are trying to garner support for their two-week stopgap bill by considering including a provision that would make it easier for states to get unused Medicaid and Medicare dollars to pay for CHIP. House Republicans have already passed a bill that will fund CHIP by making cuts to Medicare and Obamacare, but Democrats have opposed this zero-sum approach to healthcare and want to fund CHIP independently of other federal health care programs.
Democrats now face a choice. Do they agree to health-care cuts elsewhere to ensure that CHIP continues, or do they hold firm and bet that Republicans will not be willing to suffer the inevitable political blowback that will come once states start cutting enrollment? "They're going to lose this battle," Representative Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat, predicted to me. "CHIP is going to be reauthorized."
Schakowsky added that the same political dynamic that stymied Republicans on Obamacare repeal would ultimately reemerge on CHIP. "People get health care," she said. "They may not get Russia. They may not even get North Korea. But health care is personal."
Democrats Want The Spending Bill To Include Protections For Dreamers
President Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in September, throwing the issue of "Dreamers" — undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children — to Congress with a deadline of March 5, 2018. Finding a way to let Dreamers stay in the country legally is a make-or-break issue for some Democrats (and some Republicans, too).
Most on Capitol Hill said a deal must realistically be done before the end of December because a bipartisan agreement would become more difficult in a midterm election year…
Some Democrats have suggested they will not support a must-pass spending bill without a deal that offers the dreamers a path to citizenship. Last week, Republican Reps. Carlos Curbelo and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, both of Florida, added their names to that list. More than two dozen other moderate GOP lawmakers are expected to make similar pledges in the coming days.
After Some Bumps, Democratic Leaders Will Meet With Trump Later This Week
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and House minority leader Nancy Pelosi will meet with President Trump on Thursday to discuss funding the government. The two Democratic leaders canceled a meeting with Trump last week after Trump tweeted that he "didn't see a deal" with them.
"We're glad the White House has reached out and asked for a second meeting. We hope the President will go into this meeting with an open mind, rather than deciding that an agreement can't be reached beforehand," the two Democratic leaders said in a joint statement.
They added that they "are hopeful the President will be open to an agreement to address the urgent needs of the American people and keep government open."
[The Hill]
