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Senate now has Wednesday deadline to consider $1.1 trillion spending bill Senate moves forward on $1.1 trillion spending bill as deadline is pushed back
(about 5 hours later)
Congress now has until Wednesday night, if needed, to complete work on a $1.1 trillion spending bill to keep most government agencies operating through next summer. The Senate moved closer Friday to passing a $1.1 trillion bill to fund almost all of the government through most of 2015. But detractors on the left and the right were likely to delay final approval of the sweeping measure.
The House quietly passed another funding extension by unanimous consent on Friday afternoon to give senators even more time to work through procedural rules, debate and then vote on the spending bill. The opponents, who have been holding out for a chance to amend the legislation, have been shut down by Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and held little chance of scuttling the omnibus spending bill, which must pass quickly to avoid a government shutdown. But they prompted the House to pass another funding extension as a backstop, giving senators more time to work through the political debate and procedural hurdles.
Senators could ignore the proposed extension and rush to finish the spending bill Friday night, then send it to President Obama for his signature. But debate also could spill into next week if a mix of conservatives and liberals who oppose parts of the omnibus package choose to fight. On Friday afternoon, Reid made his initial moves on the spending package, which narrowly cleared the House on Thursday. While that technically put the bill on track for passage early next week, Reid hoped that the chamber would approve it sooner.
Among liberals, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sparked a Democratic revolt this week by speaking out against the legislation. But she hadn’t indicated by Friday afternoon whether she might seek to block the bill or run out the clock. “I would hope cooler heads prevail and we can move forward and get this done,” he said on the Senate floor.
A pack of Republicans upset that the bill doesn’t do more to block Obama’s recent executive actions on immigration was plotting how to force a vote to stop the actions. But one of them, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), conceded Friday morning that strong GOP support for the spending bill in the House on Thursday night makes it less likely that his views will prevail. The near defeat of the spending measure in the House renewed focus in the Senate on the odd-bedfellows political coalition that almost torpedoed the bill.
On the right, the opposition was headed by those who wanted to use the bill to confront President Obama on his immigration executive actions. Liberal outrage has centered on a provision that would loosen a key regulation on big banks.
The populist anti-Wall Street faction was led by freshman Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
“Enough is enough,” she said on the Senate floor Friday. “Washington already works really well for the billionaires and big corporations.”
While these opponents of the bill were clinging to slim hopes that they could derail the legislation, they stopped short of pledging to block it.
Still, the House approved a second stopgap funding extension as an insurance policy against delays in the upper chamber. The move cleared the way for Congress to work until Wednesday night, if needed, to complete its consideration of the measure, which would fund the government through the end of next summer.
The one exception is the Department of Homeland Security, which is funded only through late winter amid the fight over Obama’s decision to halt the deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants.
“I think it is critical for the Senate to have an opportunity to have a clear up or down vote on funding President Obama’s illegal executive amnesty. I am using every tool available to help bring about that vote,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.).
But pressed by reporters on whether he was prepared to block the spending bill, Cruz hustled onto the Senate floor without answering the question.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), another critic, conceded Friday morning that strong GOP support for the spending bill in the House on Thursday night makes it less likely for his perspective to prevail.
“I adhere to the view that Congress should not fund a program that we think is unworthy and unlawful, but that’s been decided by the House,” he said.“I adhere to the view that Congress should not fund a program that we think is unworthy and unlawful, but that’s been decided by the House,” he said.
In addition to Sessions, Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (Tex.), Mike Lee (Utah) and David Vitter (La.) were hoping to force a vote on their proposal to defund parts of the federal government tied to Obama’s immigration actions. A Senate GOP aide familiar with that plan said the quartet remained optimistic that there would be a vote. Warren sparked a Democratic revolt in the House this week by speaking out against the legislation. But she hadn’t indicated by late Friday afternoon whether she might seek to block the bill or run out the clock.
Lee sent an e-mail to campaign donors, saying that no matter what happens in the next few days, a GOP-controlled Senate next year “will guarantee that any major legislation will have plenty of time for debate, so that members can do their job of informing and educating the public about what is going on in Washington. No more back rooms. No more arbitrary deadlines. No more all-or-nothing spending bills.” Another outspoken liberal opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), also declined to say whether he would filibuster.
But Democrats are certain to try to block the conservatives, at which point it was unclear what might unfold. Senators could be stuck in Washington for several more days or be leaving for the holidays by Saturday. Warren teamed up with Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) to try to fight the banking provision. The two introduced an amendment to remove the language from the bill that loosens the restrictions on banks when it comes to risky derivative transactions.
“There isn’t a lot of time” left to finish the spending bill, Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) warned on Friday morning as he announced his support for it. Meanwhile, Sessions, Cruz, Vitter and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) were hoping to force a vote on their proposal to defund parts of the federal government tied to Obama’s immigration actions. A Senate GOP aide familiar with that plan said they remained optimistic that there would be a vote.
Reid and GOP leaders were also struggling to wrap up work on other complex proposals, including a package of tax breaks, the reauthorization of a federally-backed terrorism insurance program and a batch of Obama nominees to government posts. Even as the Senate closed in on a spending bill vote, Reid said the chamber would probably have to return early next week to complete several items. Those include votes on a batch of judicial nominations, a terrorism insurance bill and extending a collection of tax breaks.
Legislation setting Pentagon policy for the next year was poised to easily pass Friday afternoon, and senators were expected to unanimously confirm two members of a federal broadcasting board and five ambassadors to places including Cabo Verde, Iceland and Palau. “We’re not going to finish tonight,” Reid said on the Senate floor.
On Friday, Obama reiterated his support for the spending bill, saying, “This, by definition, was a compromise bill.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is set to succeed Reid as the majority leader when the Republicans take control of the chamber early next year, disagreed with the assessment.
“I want everybody to understand that it’s possible to finish tonight,” McConnell said.
In other business, legislation setting Pentagon policy for the next year passed the Senate on Friday. Senators also confirmed two members of a federal broadcasting board and five ambassadors to Cape Verde, Iceland, Palau and other places.
In an effort to try to ensure passage of the spending bill, Obama reiterated his support, saying, “This, by definition, was a compromise bill.”
“Had I been able to draft my own legislation, get it passed without any Republican votes, I suspect it would be slightly different,” the president said later. “That is not the circumstance we find ourselves in, and I think what the American people very much are looking for is responsible governance and the willingness to compromise.”“Had I been able to draft my own legislation, get it passed without any Republican votes, I suspect it would be slightly different,” the president said later. “That is not the circumstance we find ourselves in, and I think what the American people very much are looking for is responsible governance and the willingness to compromise.”
Passage of the spending bill and other unfinished business would be a victory for congressional Republicans, who were eager to wipe the slate clean before taking full control of Capitol Hill next year. The spending agreement also sets up what promises to be a three-month battle with Obama over the future of the nation’s immigration policy. Speaking on the Senate floor after Warren on Friday evening, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) warned opponents of the bill against blowing it up.
Congress narrowly avoided another government shutdown on Thursday night when the House approved the bill by a vote of 219-to-206 with less than three hours before government funding expired. The House and Senate then agreed to a two-day extension to give senators more time to consider the bill. Graham pledged to vote for the bill, even as he acknowledged “knowing it’s not perfect.”
The result capped a long, acrimonious day in which House Democrats nearly upended the bill backed by Obama. The showdown exposed some of the dynamics on Capitol Hill in which the most liberal Democrats replaced the most conservative Republicans as significant obstacles to passing difficult fiscal legislation. One lawmaker who appeared to be tiring of all the extended talks was Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
Sean Sullivan and Paul Kane contributed to this report. “It’s ridiculous,” he told reporters outside the Senate chamber. “A lame-duck session after the American people have spoken.”