White House says Biden would sign funding bill if it passes Senate
From CNN's Arlette Saenz
President Joe Biden walks out of the Oval Office and heads to the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. Susan Walsh/AP
President Joe Biden is prepared to sign the House-approved government funding bill if passed by the Senate, a White House official said Tuesday.
“If it passes the Senate, the President will sign this continuing resolution that maintains current funding levels and has no harmful policy riders,” the official said.
Beyond the pressing government funding fight, the official also called on House Republicans to abandon “extreme, partisan appropriations bills” and work with Democrats on fully-year appropriations bills. The official went on to call on Congress to pass funding for Israel, Ukraine and border security as well.
“Looking ahead, House Republicans must stop wasting time on extreme, partisan appropriations bills that break the bipartisan agreement two-thirds of them voted for and instead work quickly with Democrats on full-year appropriations bills,” the official said. “Congress must also address urgent national security and domestic needs—including funding for Israel, Ukraine, humanitarian assistance, border security, WIC, and other critical priorities that have bipartisan support.”
18 min ago
Senate talks underway to finish tonight and head home for Thanksgiving
From CNN's Manu Raju
Several Senate sources say that talks are underway to pass the stop-gap government funding bill tonight and leave town for Thanksgiving, scrapping tomorrow’s session.
Final votes could happen within the next few hours.
11 min ago
Schumer says Senate could vote on House-passed funding bill "as soon as today"
From CNN's Clare Foran, Kristin Wilson, Morgan Rimmer and Ted Barrett,
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer meets with reporters before speaking to a massive rally in support of Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that the chamber could vote to pass a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown “as soon as today.”
If the Senate passes the bill, as expected, the measure would next go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Government funding is currently set to expire at the end of the week on Friday, November 17.
Schumer said he will work with Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell “to see if we can come to an agreement to accelerate this bill’s passage.”
“If both sides cooperate, there’s no reason we can’t finish this bill even as soon as today,” he said
Remember: To hold the Senate vote on Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans would have to reach an agreement to expedite the process, which would require unanimous consent from all 100 senators. An objection from any single senator could slow down the timeline.
“No drama, no delay, no government shutdown. That’s our goal. And we hope we have an agreement very soon to avoid a shutdown,” Schumer said.
The House passed the stopgap bill on Tuesday. In the first major test of his leadership, newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson is pursuing an unusual two-step plan that would set up new shutdown deadlines in January and February.
The bill would extend funding until January 19 for priorities including military construction, veterans’ affairs, transportation, housing and the Energy Department. The rest of the government – anything not covered by the first step – would be funded until February 2. The proposal does not include additional aid for Israel or Ukraine.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota expressed optimism on Wednesday that the Senate could pass the spending bill later in the day. “I don’t think there’s any reason why we couldn’t vote today,” he told reporters.
Asked whether any members of his conference are pushing for amendment votes, which could slow down the process, he acknowledged that there is one – Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky – but indicated that won’t significantly delay final passage.
“We’re not seeing anything out there that would suggest that we couldn’t process this fairly quickly,” he said.
The Senate is expected to vote tonight on the House-passed stopgap bill to keep the government open, putting Congress on a path to avert a shutdown — but setting the stage for a broader funding fight in the new year.
If the Senate passes the bill, as expected, the measure would next go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Government funding is currently set to expire at the end of the week on Friday, November 17.
The bill would extend funding until January 19 for priorities including military construction, veterans’ affairs, transportation, housing and the Energy Department. The rest of the government – anything not covered by the first step – would be funded until February 2. The proposal does not include additional aid for Israel or Ukraine.
President Joe Biden walks out of the Oval Office and heads to the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. Susan Walsh/AP
President Joe Biden is prepared to sign the House-approved government funding bill if passed by the Senate, a White House official said Tuesday.
“If it passes the Senate, the President will sign this continuing resolution that maintains current funding levels and has no harmful policy riders,” the official said.
Beyond the pressing government funding fight, the official also called on House Republicans to abandon “extreme, partisan appropriations bills” and work with Democrats on fully-year appropriations bills. The official went on to call on Congress to pass funding for Israel, Ukraine and border security as well.
“Looking ahead, House Republicans must stop wasting time on extreme, partisan appropriations bills that break the bipartisan agreement two-thirds of them voted for and instead work quickly with Democrats on full-year appropriations bills,” the official said. “Congress must also address urgent national security and domestic needs—including funding for Israel, Ukraine, humanitarian assistance, border security, WIC, and other critical priorities that have bipartisan support.”
Several Senate sources say that talks are underway to pass the stop-gap government funding bill tonight and leave town for Thanksgiving, scrapping tomorrow’s session.
Final votes could happen within the next few hours.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer meets with reporters before speaking to a massive rally in support of Israel, at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that the chamber could vote to pass a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown “as soon as today.”
If the Senate passes the bill, as expected, the measure would next go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Government funding is currently set to expire at the end of the week on Friday, November 17.
Schumer said he will work with Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell “to see if we can come to an agreement to accelerate this bill’s passage.”
“If both sides cooperate, there’s no reason we can’t finish this bill even as soon as today,” he said
Remember: To hold the Senate vote on Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans would have to reach an agreement to expedite the process, which would require unanimous consent from all 100 senators. An objection from any single senator could slow down the timeline.
“No drama, no delay, no government shutdown. That’s our goal. And we hope we have an agreement very soon to avoid a shutdown,” Schumer said.
The House passed the stopgap bill on Tuesday. In the first major test of his leadership, newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson is pursuing an unusual two-step plan that would set up new shutdown deadlines in January and February.
The bill would extend funding until January 19 for priorities including military construction, veterans’ affairs, transportation, housing and the Energy Department. The rest of the government – anything not covered by the first step – would be funded until February 2. The proposal does not include additional aid for Israel or Ukraine.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota expressed optimism on Wednesday that the Senate could pass the spending bill later in the day. “I don’t think there’s any reason why we couldn’t vote today,” he told reporters.
Asked whether any members of his conference are pushing for amendment votes, which could slow down the process, he acknowledged that there is one – Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky – but indicated that won’t significantly delay final passage.
“We’re not seeing anything out there that would suggest that we couldn’t process this fairly quickly,” he said.
