WASHINGTON – The Latest on Congress and spending legislation (all times local):
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6:45 p.m.
The Trump administration is preparing for the second federal government shutdown in as many months.
The Office of Management and Budget says it is currently preparing for a lapse in appropriations. Lawmakers are facing a midnight deadline to keep the government open.
But Sen. Rand Paul is holding up a vote on the Senate budget deal, accusing Republicans and Democrats of “spending us into oblivion.”
The pending deal must first pass the Senate, then the House and be signed into law to avoid a government shutdown. The deal appears to have the votes to pass, but rules of the Senate allow individual senators to hold up the process.
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The administration is urging Congress to pass the plan and send it to the president’s desk without delay.
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6:05 p.m.
Sen. Rand Paul is holding up a vote on the Senate budget deal, saying he can’t in “all good faith” move ahead with the deal without more debate.
The Kentucky Republican says he came to Congress to fight deficits. But now, he says, Republicans and Democrats are “spending us into oblivion.”
Lawmakers are facing a midnight deadline. The deal pending in the Senate must first pass the Senate, then the House and be signed into law to avoid a government shutdown. The deal appears to have the votes to pass, but rules of the Senate allow individual senators to hold up the process.
Paul brushed off pleas from Senate leaders.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says, “It’s time to vote.” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says, “We’re in risky territory here.”
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6 p.m.
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is telling House Democrats to “do what you want to do” as the chamber approaches a vote on a bipartisan budget deal that would avert a government shutdown after midnight.
That’s according to Oregon Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader. He spoke as he left a closed-door meeting of party lawmakers.
Senate passage is expected Thursday evening. A House vote would follow, in which majority Republicans will likely need several dozen Democratic votes to assure passage.
Many Democrats say they’ll oppose the measure because it doesn’t have language protecting hundreds of thousands of young “Dreamer” immigrants from deportation.
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1:08 p.m.
The White House says it supports Senate passage of a budget deal that would funnel an additional $300 billion to the Pentagon and domestic programs over the next two years.
The White House budget office says the agreement lays the groundwork for full funding of the military, a top priority for President Donald Trump.
The deal also spends more on other administration priorities, including infrastructure and the opioid drug epidemic.
Senate leaders are working to approve the measure Thursday and send it to the House for passage before the government begins to shut down at midnight.
The budget office says it would recommend to Trump that he sign the measure into law if Congress sends it to him in its current form.
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12:33 a.m.
Opposition from Democratic liberals and tea-party Republicans in Congress may imperil a budget deal reached by Senate leaders to keep the government operating past midnight Thursday.
The bipartisan compromise would provide the Pentagon and domestic programs with an extra $300 billion over the next two years. That additional spending worries some deficit-minded Republicans, and some Democrats are unhappy that immigration isn’t part of the measure.
To that end, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi staged a record eight-hour speech arguing in favor of legislation for young immigrants in the country since childhood who face deportation.
The White House backs the Senate deal. Senate leaders hope to approve the measure Thursday and send it to the House for approval. But hurdles remain to avert the second shutdown in a month.
