Senate

Senate GOP raises concerns about White House stopgap plan to avoid shutdown

by Jordain Carney - 07/03/19 1:55 PM ET

Senate Republicans raised concerns about a White House offer to use a one-year stopgap funding bill to avoid a government shutdown starting in October if negotiators fail to reach a larger budget deal.

Sen. Dave Perdue (R-Ga.) spearheaded a letter from 16 Republican senators Wednesday warning that a one-year continuing resolution (CR) would include “draconian conditions” for the military.

“As the world continues to become more dangerous, the American people rightfully expect their representatives in Washington to put aside political differences and do their jobs. Simply put, our adversaries do not handcuff their militaries with funding gimmicks like continuing resolutions—nor should we,” the senators wrote.

{mosads}The letter was sent to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and acting Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, who have led the budget talks for the White House.

Negotiators hope to reach a deal to raise the caps for defense and nondefense spending. But as a Plan B, Mnuchin has offered linking a debt ceiling increase to a one-year CR, which would freeze spending at fiscal 2019 levels.

But Republican senators wrote in the letter that “must be avoided” because it would leave the Defense Department “incapable of increasing readiness, recapitalizing our force, or rationalizing funding to align with the National Defense Strategy.”

In addition to Perdue, Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Bill Cassidy (La.), John Cornyn (Texas), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Joni Ernst (Iowa), James Inhofe (Okla.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), James Lankford (Okla.), Jerry Moran (Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Pat Roberts (Kan.), Mike Rounds (S.D.), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Roger Wicker (Miss) signed the letter.

Inhofe is the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, the Senate panel with primary jurisdiction of the military. Ernst, Cornyn and Tillis, like Perdue, are each up for reelection next year in closely watched Senate races.

The letter is the latest sign of division about what the party’s back up plan should be as budget negotiations drag on.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters before the July 4 recess that a one-year continuing resolution was “unacceptable,” while Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Republican senator, told The Hill that a CR was an outcome that he didn’t think “anybody wants to see that happen.”

Perdue told The Hill on Friday that he had discussed funding the government with Trump, who he characterized as “concerned about it as well.” Perdue said that he plans to speak again to the president to outline his concerns about a one-year CR.

Republicans blame a stalemate between Democrats and the White House for the holdup in getting a budget deal.

Without an agreement, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) wants to start moving funding bills that are based off a Senate-only agreement, though the legislation would need to be adjusted if they get a deal.

But McConnell appeared to pour cold water on that option last week, saying he wants to write funding bills based off numbers he knows the president will support.

“I support getting some kind of deal that can tell us how much we can spend so we can go forward. The only thing, however, that strikes me that give us a real number to mark to is one that we know the president will sign,” McConnell told reporters during a press conference.