Senate close to spending deal as deadline approaches

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday evening signaled his willingness to agree to a Republican-led plan to fund the government through September. Schumer the previous day had said he was prepared to stop the deal, sending the government’s approved funding to lapse at the Friday deadline. But on Thursday, he wrote that the Trump administration would “love a shutdown” and that not meeting the deadline would only allow Congressional Republicans to choose which government programs to reopen. 

What was Schumer’s previous plan for blocking the spending bill? On Wednesday he said that Senate Democrats had votes sufficient to block the continuing resolution that House Republicans advanced March 11. In a social media post, Schumer said the Democratic caucus was unified around an alternative plan, a 30-day stopgap resolution. Schumer said the Democrats wanted more bipartisan input on funding and would use the extended time to negotiate legislation.

How many votes does the resolution need to pass? The Republicans’ continuing resolution needs 60 votes to pass the Senate but has garnered support from only 52 from Republicans. That means at least eight Democrats must vote for it. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has been the lone Republican opposing the resolution. Paul criticized the bill’s high spending levels, saying it would add $2 trillion to the national debt.

Dig Deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report about House Republicans advancing the spending bill.