Senate leaders from both parties said they will pass all 12 appropriations bills by the end of the month to avoid a government shutdown, setting up a clash with the House where hardline Republicans have spoken openly about forcing a suspension of nonessential government functions to press for further cuts in federal spending.
In separate press conferences on Capitol Hill on Sept. 6, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appealed for senators to continue working in “regular order” to complete the appropriations process on time.
The federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. So in the absence of a new spending agreement, many government offices and programs would be suspended on Oct. 1.
“This is a closely divided chamber,” Mr. Schumer said. “Nevertheless, we can summarize the Senate’s work in funding the government in one word: bipartisan.”
Senate on Track to Finish
The Senate, which has not passed the required bills on time in five years, has shown unusual bipartisanship in moving the process forward after the signing of the Fiscal Responsibility Act in early June.The law was the product of a compromise reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Democrats agreed to slight reductions in nondefense discretionary spending and modest increases in defense spending in 2024, with discretionary spending growth capped at 1 percent for 2025. In exchange, Republicans agreed to suspend the debt ceiling through Jan. 1, 2025.
Since then, the Senate Appropriations Committee completed all 12 appropriations bills, clearing the way for the full Senate to consider them, which is expected to begin on Sept. 7.
“Senator [Susan] Collins [(R-Maine)] and Senator [Patty] Murray [(D-Wash.)] have done a spectacular job in at least getting the bills out of committee,” Mr. McConnell said.
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) stressed the need to make spending decisions through normal committee hearings, which allow for greater participation in the process by lawmakers.
“I talk a lot around here about regular order. And the reason I do that is because I think ... it is a more transparent process, is more accountable to the people in this country,” Mr. Thune said.
“The way it’s supposed to work is to do these in regular order, through a process that allows for open debate on the floor, and that’s what our Congress is going to insist on in the appropriations process this year.”
House Divided
Meanwhile, hardline Republicans in the House have seen Mr. McCarthy’s deal with the president as an unacceptable compromise. They are pushing to cut federal spending to the 2022 level, which the House had originally agreed to do in passing the Limit, Save, Grow Act in April.Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Bob Good (R-Va.), and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) are among a small group of House Republicans who have spoken openly about forcing a shutdown to drive further spending reductions.
Both sides are intent on avoiding what Mr. Thune called the “big train wreck” that occurred last year, when—unable to agree on spending levels until the very end of the year—the House passed a 400-page, $1.7-trillion omnibus spending bill just before Christmas.
Mr. McCarthy has said he favors a short-term continuing resolution that would allow the government to function at current spending levels for a set period of time while lawmakers finalize the 2024 budget. Mr. Schumer has indicated a willingness to consider that.
However, GOP hardliners in the House, though small in number, could have enough clout in the narrowly divided chamber to block a continuing resolution.
“Extending a CR of the disastrous Omni is a non-starter,” Mr. Roy wrote on X on Sept. 4, referring to last year’s omnibus bill.
“We shouldn’t fear a government shutdown,” Mr. Good said on June 15, his office confirmed to The Epoch Times.
“If we shut it down in order to try to bring fiscal stability and fiscal solvency, that will save the country from an economic and fiscal standpoint for our kids and grandkids,” he said.
“I’m not afraid of shutdowns. American life doesn’t halt because government offices are closed,” said Mr. Donalds, according to Punchbowl News. “We have to be serious about spending.”
Senators Against Shutdown
Asked if he feared the prospect of a government shutdown, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) told The Epoch Times, “Not at all.”“I’m tired of hearing them talking like they’re badasses. If it happens, they’re gonna own it.”
Many of his Senate colleagues stated a desire to avoid a shutdown.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), asked if he was worried about the prospect, told The Epoch Times, “I think everybody should be.”
“I can tell you we need to do everything we can to avoid [a shutdown] because the stakes are too high. It’s going to hurt our hardworking Nevada families, and of course, families across this country and our standing in the world,” Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) told The Epoch Times.
“In the Senate, we’ve done our job. We’re going to be moving those appropriation bills through. “The House needs to get their house in order,” she added.
“It would be stupidity on steroids,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told reporters on Sept. 6. “I’m not sure what some of these House Republicans are thinking.”
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) told The Epoch Times she’s eager to get the appropriations bills to the Senate floor.
When asked about the forecast that the federal deficit could double next year, Ms. Britt said, “We must do better for our children. It’s morally and fiscally irresponsible.”
The House Appropriations Committee has completed work on only one of the 12 bills and will have just 12 legislative days to complete the process when it returns from summer break next week.
