‘This bill is hanging by a thread’: Senators at an impasse over government funding bill

CNN
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Senators are pessimistic about making progress on the year-long government funding bill Wednesday night, with talks appearing to have stalled for the evening.

“This bill is hanging by a thread,” Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said. “We are having enormously difficulty between a few Republicans on exactly what is the path.”

Emerging from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office, Sen. John Thune said, “I don’t think at this point there’s a clear path forward.” The South Dakota Republican signaled there would be no votes Wednesday.

Senators have been at an impasse over an amendment from Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee to extend the Trump-era border policy known as Title 42 that allows migrants to be turned back at the border. The Biden administration earlier this week told the Supreme Court it should reject an emergency bid by a group of GOP-led states to keep the controversial border restriction in effect while legal challenges play out.

However, Democrats are concerned that Lee’s amendment may pass, as some centrists and others in their party have expressed support for an extension of the policy. That could cause the spending bill to be sunk in the Democratic-led House, which must pass the bill after it clears the Senate.

But Title 42 may not be the only hang up. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said late Wednesday there are now a “number” of issues holding up the bill, not just Title 42, which had been a main sticking point.

Some lawmakers suggested Congress might need to vote on another short-term funding bill to avoid a government shutdown.

It’s “looking like that’s more of a possibility,” Indiana GOP Sen. Todd Young said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer threatened to take procedural steps to overcome the opposition and force a final vote on the government funding bill later this week, but one GOP senator doubted that he would be able to get GOP support necessary to do that since he would need 60 votes.

Senate leaders unveiled the $1.7 trillion year-long funding bill early Tuesday morning – the product of lengthy negotiations between top congressional Democrats and Republicans. The Senate had hoped to vote first to approve the deal this week and then send it to the House for approval before government funding runs out on December 23.