Congressional leaders could soon scrap weeks of budget talks in favor of a simple funding extension as Republicans weigh the best strategy to avert a government shutdown.
Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Senate Republicans at a Tuesday lunch that an extension out to September, known as a continuing resolution, is now the likeliest option to handle a March 14 shutdown deadline, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
That view has been crystalizing in Republican leadership for some time, but appropriators have been eager to demonstrate there’s still the political will to pass all 12 spending bills through the regular appropriations process.
The two parties are “virtually there” on top-line numbers that would allow them to begin drafting legislation, according to Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. But Republicans have yet to overcome a Democratic sticking point over President Donald Trump’s executive power.
Democrats want assurances he won’t impound, or leave unspent, any funds that are appropriated, but those demands are a nonstarter with the White House, which implemented a funding freeze that Democrats say is illegal last month.
“I prefer, obviously, always prefer to move bills, individual bills, or at least bundled, packaged. But, you know, we’re running out of time, and so we’ve got a short window to work with,” Thune said on Tuesday.
“I would say, at this point, all options are on the table,” he added.
The funding patch could include some add-ons, including wildfire aid for California, but would otherwise keep spending flat for the remainder of the fiscal year.
The debate over government funding has so far been overshadowed by the House’s struggle to adopt a budget resolution that unlocks Trump’s tax and border agenda. That resolution cleared the lower chamber Tuesday after a rollercoaster vote in which leadership strong-armed GOP holdouts on the House floor.
But congressional leaders are well aware of the impending funding deadline, and the need for a decision to be made soon. Shortly before the budget vote, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) met with Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee to receive an update on negotiations.
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), a senior appropriator who met with Johnson, told reporters that a yearlong extension is becoming more likely with just two weeks left to fund the government.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), for his part, declined to say if he would support a “clean” extension in funding on Tuesday.
“We’re negotiating right now, and we’re not going to get into the private details,” he told reporters at his weekly press conference. He repeated that answer when asked if he would accept a bill that excludes restrictions on Trump.
One option is to buy appropriators more time with a CR that extends funding a week or more, something Collins has been advocating. Thune told the Washington Examiner that GOP leadership is “looking through and considering all the various possibilities at this point,” including a short-term extension.
In the meantime, appropriators are trying to get past the first hurdle: reaching a deal on funding levels.
“What we’re making progress on is the most important part, which is agreement on the numbers. And there have been, lately, good-faith discussions,” said Collins, who noted she met with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democratic appropriator in the Senate, on Monday night.
In total, Collins has traded four offers with her counterparts, according to one source familiar with the negotiations, but Democrats have not yet accepted a deal.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the top Democratic appropriator in the House, said that progress was being made on “all fronts,” including the possibility of placing conditions on Trump.
“It can come in various ways,” she told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday. “I believe people understand that the law has to be followed, and how we get there is what’s being hammered out.”
But Collins pushed back on the notion of conditions when asked about the impasse.
“There is by no means agreement on poison pills or new riders that have never been part of these end-of-the-year bills,” she said.
In the absence of an agreement, each party has been preparing to blame the other if a shutdown occurs on March 15.
“Republicans do not have the votes to keep government open on our own — if the Democrats want to shut it down, they can,” Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), an ally of House GOP leadership, told reporters on Tuesday.
Republicans have unified control of Washington but, due to the Senate filibuster and a narrow House majority, require Democratic support to send a funding deal to Trump’s desk.
TRACKING WHAT DOGE IS DOING ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, addressed Dusty Johnson’s remarks unprompted at his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
“If Republicans don’t want to govern, they just need to give us a couple votes and we’ll put Hakeem Jeffries in the speaker chair,” he said.
Rachel Schilke contributed to this report.