House Republicans plan vote to avert shutdown but Trump may have made it harder
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House Speaker Paul Ryan is pressuring Democrats to back a bill preventing a weekend government shutdown and says “cool heads hopefully will prevail.” (Jan. 17)
AP
WASHINGTON — House Republicans scheduled a crucial Thursday night vote to avert a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday, even as President Trump sparked an uproar by signaling opposition to a key provision in the bill Republican leaders planned to bring to the floor.
In a Thursday morning tweet, Trump called on lawmakers to fund a children’s health insurance program as part of a long-term package, not in the stop-gap funding bill that’s set for a House vote Thursday. Republicans included the health insurance extension in the short-term funding bill in the hopes of winning Democratic support, which they will likely need to win passage.
“CHIP should be part of a long term solution, not a 30 Day, or short term, extension!†Trump tweeted Thursday morning, referring to the federal-state Children’s Health Insurance Program that serves approximately 9 million American kids.
The tweet caught lawmakers off guard and injected fresh volatility into the delicate negotiations to avert a government shutdown.Â
“He’s undermining his Republican team,” said Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. “He can’t take a consistent position for even 24 hours. It completely hurts our ability to kind of negotiate with the other side when he keeps throwing bombs into the mix.”Â
At least one Republican seemed to feel the same way.
“We don’t have a reliable partner at the White House to negotiate with,†Sen. Lindsey Graham told the Washington Post Thursday morning.Â
CHIP should be part of a long term solution, not a 30 Day, or short term, extension!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the Senate’s second ranking Republican, posted an apparent response to Trump on Twitter, explaining that the CHIP provision in the short-term spending bill is in fact a long-term renewal of the children’s health program.Â
The current house Continuing Resolution package has a six-year extension of CHIP, not a 30 day extension
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) January 18, 2018
Trump’s tweet also put House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., in the awkward position of having to answer questions about whether the president understood the funding legislation — and whether he is an unreliable ally in the current brinksmanship.
“It’s not causing us problems at all,†Ryan told reporters at a Thursday morning news conference. Ryan said he spoke with the president at about 10 a.m. Thursday, though he did not disclose the details of that conversation.
“I am sure where he stands,†Ryan said. “I just talked to him about an hour and a half ago. He fully supports passing†the short-term funding bill.
Trump tried to shift blame to Democrats for the stalemate, saying in remarks at the Pentagon that the sweeping tax overhaul he signed in December is already improving the economy but “the Democrats would like to blunt that by shutting down government.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also tried to ramp up pressure on Democrats, reading a series of quotes from Democratic senators blasting the lack of long-term CHIP funding and said he was “puzzled†about how they could possibly oppose the short-term bill, which reauthorizes the program for six years.
“All of these Democratic senators represent tens of thousands of children who depend on (CHIP),†McConnell said. “I’m more than puzzled why they would threaten to shut down the government over the entirely unrelated issue of illegal immigration.â€
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took to the floor following McConnell’s remarks to push back, calling the leader’s remarks “outrageous.”Â
“Of course Democrats support CHIP Leader McConnell, you know that darn well,†Schumer said. If Democrats were in power “we would have never never let it expire,” in the first place, he said.
Congress has been unable to pass a long-term spending plan for government agencies since last year’s budget ran out Sept. 30. Instead, the government has been kept open by a series of weeks-long spending measures; the current one expires Friday.
Republicans for several days have been planning to pass another short-term measure that would extend funding through Feb. 16. The stalemate over a long-term bill has mostly centered on two issues: trying to reach agreement on spending levels and legal protections for immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
Democrats are resisting the GOP’s four-week funding bill because it does not have an immigration fix, but the CHIP funding was considered a sweetener that might encourage some Democrats to vote in favor of the package anyway. Hard-line conservatives have indicated they may oppose the short-term measure because it does not guarantee enough military spending and enough cuts in other areas.
Rep. Mark Meadows, who chairs the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, told reporters Wednesday night that there were enough members of his conservative group to sink the bill if no Democrats voted in favor. On Thursday, Freedom Caucus spokesman Darin Miller told USA TODAY that number still stood despite ongoing negotiations with GOP leadership.
Ryan will not have enough votes to pass the bill Thursday night if both Democrats and conservative Republicans refuse to sign on. The speaker did not directly answer questions Thursday about whether he had enough GOP votes to pass that legislation in the House.
“I feel we’re making really good progress with our members,†he said. “Our members are understanding the gravity of the situation.â€
In the Senate, Republicans have a narrow 51-49 majority and the spending bill will need 60 votes to pass. Sen. John McCain, a Republican, has been out for health reasons, and Graham came out against the short-term spending bill Wednesday.Â
On Thursday, Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a Republican, said on CNN he also would not vote for the bill.
“It’s not because immigration isn’t included,” Rounds said. “For me, it’s a matter of defense, and it’s a matter of trying to make sure in the future the message is ‘let’s get our work done on time.'”
That means that if every other Republican votes for the bill, McConnell will still need 12 Democrats or independents to get on board. As of Thursday morning, it was not clear he’d be able to get that many. A number of moderate Democrats up for re-election in states Trump won in 2016 said they were undecided.
Read more:
GOP pushes a short-term spending bill, but it’s not clear they can avoid a shutdown
Why Congress can’t agree on how to fund the government
Social security benefits? Passport? What the government shutdown would mean
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