Dueling pronouncements by the leaders of the House and Senate Wednesday confirmed how Congress might be sleepwalking right into a partial authorities shutdown later this month.
At a much-hyped look on the Texas border with Mexico, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated House Republicans wished their total immigration restriction invoice handed, whilst, again in Washington, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Senate majority chief, stated that wasn’t going to occur.
As the leaders’ first public remarks within the new 12 months, they highlighted one other rising spherical of political hen after Congress averted doable shutdowns in October and November. In October, Democrats have been prepared to jettison wanted army help for Ukraine for a short lived funding invoice, whereas in November, House Republicans coming off a bruising intraparty combat over who must be speaker, let Democrats carry a invoice to fund the federal government.
“We want to get the border closed and secured first, and we want to make sure we reduce non-defense discretionary spending,” Johnson advised reporters at a press convention in Texas.
While Johnson stated there had been negotiations nearly daily by way of vacation break, he additionally stated in response to a separate query that House Republicans weren’t serious about seeing solely parts of their immigration invoice, H.R. 2, handed.
“H.R. 2 is the necessary ingredient. Why? Because it has provisions that fix each of these problems and these provisions work together,” he stated.
In Washington, the place a small group of senators and White House officers proceed to attempt to negotiate a supplemental spending invoice that would come with border provisions in addition to help to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific area, Schumer warned House Republicans towards overreach.
If the House “clings” to H.R. 2, Schumer advised reporters, “We’re not going to get a deal” on the supplemental spending invoice.
He additionally made it clear his technique is to get an settlement with Senate Republicans he hopes the House GOP will settle for. “We want to get the Senate to come to an agreement first,” he stated.
While the supplemental invoice with worldwide army help is a separate negotiation than the annual spending payments that have to be handed by Jan. 19, a delay in attending to settlement on the primary might result in the talks getting mixed as the federal government edges nearer to a shutdown.
There is an urge for food amongst House Republicans to close down the federal government as no less than an indication of seriousness about stopping unlawful immigration. Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), a member of the rightwing House Freedom Caucus, posted on social media, “Congress must refuse to fund this corrupt administration unless the border is restored. #HR2.”
The companies funded solely by way of Jan. 19 embody the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Energy, Transportation, Treasury, in addition to Housing and Urban Development.
In wrapping up his reply about whether or not House Republicans have been prepared to vote to close down the federal government if there have been no border adjustments, Johnson reiterated they need a safe border and to chop spending exterior of the Pentagon.
“Too early to prejudge any of that, but I’ll tell you we’re resolved on those priorities,” he stated.
