The federal government was on the verge of a shutdown Friday, largely because of some senators’ exasperation with short-term measures to keep the government funded, as well as a desire to enshrine soon-to-expire protections for people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
The Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday passed a four-week continuing resolution to keep the government funded through Feb. 16, but it did so with the support of nearly the whole GOP caucus and only bare minimum backing from Democrats. The measure’s fate in the Senate remained in doubt as the clock ticked ever-closer to the deadline at the end of Friday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell needs the support of at least 10 members of the Democratic caucus to reach the 60-vote threshold to approve the measure. Republicans hold a 50-49 edge in the Senate, since Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain is away from Washington receiving treatment for brain cancer.
While some Democrats – particularly ones from states President Donald Trump won in 2016, such as West Virginia’s Joe Manchin and North Dakota’s Heidi Heitkamp – have said they would back the 30-day bill, the caucus appeared largely opposed to it.
“We oppose the House Continuing Resolution, which punts budget discussions until mid-February. Congress should remain in session with no recess until we work out a long-term bipartisan budget deal that addresses all issues,” Virginia Democrats Tim Kaine and Mark Warner said in a joint statement Thursday.
Republicans, from Trump to House Speaker Paul Ryan, have attempted to saddle Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Democratic colleagues with the blame for a potential shutdown, accusing them of brinksmanship over protections for immigrants.
The GOP added a six-year reauthorization of the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program to the funding plan to put more pressure on Democrats, framing their decision as a choice of whether to support the program. At least one Democratic senator — newly elected Doug Jones of Alabama — cited CHIP funding in a decision to back the spending bill.
Yet Democrats aren’t the only thorns in McConnell’s side. Fellow Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, has insisted he would not vote for another short-term funding extension. In a candid interview with MSNBC on Friday, Graham said that passing the 30-day House bill would extend “chaos.” Later Friday, however, he released a statement that said he would support a stopgap measure that would keep the government open until Feb. 8 – more than a week less than the four-week bill passed by the House.
Graham has also emerged as an ally for Democrats on saving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which Trump has set to expire March 5. Last week, Graham thought he had a chance for bipartisan deal to preserve DACA and enact other immigration reforms, but he said Trump’s position changed swiftly.
“He spoke compassionately about immigration, tough on security, wanted bipartisanship. Two days later, there was a major change,” Graham told MSNBC.
Graham eventually said in a tweet that he was glad Trump and Schumer met to work on an agreement – and that he is confident Trump would end up sealing a deal.
-CNBC’s Jacob Pramuk contributed to this article.
