Senate

Live coverage: Federal government on brink of shutdown

by The Hill Staff - 01/19/18 10:12 AM ET

A partial shutdown of the federal government is set to begin, with the Senate having failed to pass a funding bill late Friday evening.

Senators are now moving to consider a short-term bill to keep the government open through Feb. 8.

Bookmark this link for the latest developments.

Senate to reconvene Saturday at noon

1:25 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that the Senate would reconvene Saturday at noon, with votes planned for later in the day.

McConnell has proposed amending a House-passed stopgap spending measure so that it would fund the government until Feb. 8.

The House would still need to approve the measure and Trump must sign it to end the government shutdown, which technically began Friday at midnight.

Schumer says he offered to discuss border wall with Trump

1:15 a.m.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said early Saturday that he agreed to discuss the U.S.-Mexico border wall as part of negotiations with President Trump, but wasn’t able to win him over.

“During the meeting, in exchange for strong [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] protections, I reluctantly put the border wall on the table for the discussion. Even that was not enough to entice the president to finish the deal,” Schumer said from the Senate floor.

Schumer and Trump met at the White House on Friday to talk about a potential deal ahead of the midnight deadline, but Schumer returned to the Capitol without a deal.

– Jordain Carney

McConnell proposes new plan to avert shutdown

12:54 a.m.

Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered a motion early Saturday morning to allow him to amend a House-passed stopgap spending measure so that it would fund the government until Feb. 8.

He said he would try to get a vote on the amended measure Saturday morning, but warned he needs unanimous consent from the entire Senate to proceed.

“I’ll be offering an amendment to change the date to Feb. 8. We will, unfortunately, not be able to get that vote tonight but I will subsequently ask for a consent,” he said.

McConnell said that would give President Trump and congressional negotiators time to work out a broader deal to fund the government through the rest of fiscal 2018.

The House still needs to approve the measure and Trump must sign it to end the government shutdown that technically began at midnight Saturday.

– Alexander Bolton

House to convene at 9 a.m. on Saturday

12:45 a.m.

Members of the House have been advised that the chamber will gather on Saturday at 9 a.m. for a rare weekend session.

The House Republican Conference will also gather for a meeting at 10 a.m.

The Senate is still wrangling over a short-term government funding bill after missing the midnight deadline to avoid a shutdown.

Senators are now discussing a short-term funding bill that would last until Feb. 8. If the chamber is able to pass that bill, the House could consider it on Saturday.

– Cristina Marcos

Congress misses deadline, but talks ongoing

12:05 a.m.

Congress has missed a midnight deadline to prevent a government shutdown, though efforts to quickly end a shutdown appear to be underway.

The Senate voted Friday night on a procedural motion to advance the House GOP’s monthlong stopgap, but it failed to clear the 60 votes needed to advance on a mostly party-line vote.

In a sign of the fluidity and uncertainty of behind-the-scenes talks, the vote remained open nearly two hours after it began. Senators have been clustered in large groups on the floor talking about what is to come.

– Melanie Zanona

White House blasts ‘obstructionist losers’ as clock strikes midnight

12 a.m.

The White House blasted Senate Democrats as “obstructionist losers” as the clock struck midnight Friday and Congress missed a deadline to fund the government.

“Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown. Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children and our country’s ability to serve all Americans,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement, talking about Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).

“We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators. When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. During this politically manufactured Schumer Shutdown, the President and his Administration will fight for and protect the American people.”

GOP senator: Leaders nearing deal to avoid shutdown

11:12 p.m.

With less than an hour to go, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) says leadership is on the verge of a deal to avert a government shutdown.

“We’re down to a difference of literally three or four days,” he said, referring to how long a government funding bill would last.

Both options being discussed, according to Corker, would keep the government funded past President Trump’s State of the Union on Jan. 30.

Corker said he expects the agreement could be reached before the midnight deadline.

The potential deal is a stark turnaround after Democrats emerged from a caucus meeting with a glum outlook about the chances of reaching a deal to keep the government open.

It also comes after Democrats, with the help of some Republican senators, blocked the House-passed bill to fund the government through mid-February.

– Jordain Carney

McConnell, Schumer walk off floor together

11:01 p.m.

The top two Senate leaders walked off the Senate floor together while a vote on keeping the government remained open.

The result of the procedural vote on a one-month stopgap already approved by the House is not in doubt. It will fail.

But the conversation between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) could be very important as it likely concerns next steps in the shutdown battle.

One option is a shorter stopgap that might take government funding close to the Jan. 30 State of the Union address. Speculation about such a timeframe for a funding bill has been rampant on Friday.

— Ian Swanson

Senators huddle during vote

10:52

As the Senate voted down a procedural motion on the House bill to prevent a shutdown, GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and Susan Collins (Maine) were spotted chatting with a rotating cast of Democratic senators, including Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.).

It’s unclear what they were talking about during the vote, but Flake, Durbin and Graham are half of the “Gang of Six” that crafted a bipartisan immigration bill.

Collins has also signed on to the measure.

Graham, who was in Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) office ahead of the vote, is also pushing for a three-week continuing resolution that would run past Trump’s State of the Union.

Flake was later spotted speaking with McConnell, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)

— Jordain Carney

Trump: ‘Not looking good’

9:45 p.m.

President Trump said Friday night that the chances of avoiding a government shutdown are “not looking good,” casting doubt on Congress’s ability to strike a last-minute spending deal.

Trump’s tone shifted from earlier Friday, when he described having an “excellent” meeting with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) designed to break the spending impasse.

Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018

Graham pitches three-week CR

9:06 p.m.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is pitching a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through Feb. 8, past President Trump’s State of the Union.

“The week after the State of the Union seems to be a prime area for us to land. … It gives us some time after the State of the Union week to see if we can hammer this out,” he said.

Graham, who spoke with reporters after bouncing between leadership offices, said the three-week CR would give lawmakers enough time to work out a deal on disaster relief, the budget and immigration.

The GOP senator said lawmakers could do it “with an understanding that the body is going to agree to work on multiple issues including immigration.”

He added that he thinks both sides have a “desire to bring all these issues to a conclusion.”

Members have been floating a myriad of stopgap measures ranging from a couple of days to up to three weeks.

– Jordain Carney

Fourth Dem backs Housed-passed spending measure

8:55 p.m.

Sen. Doug Jones (Ala.) became the fourth Senate Democrat to back the House-passed measure, telling reporters Friday night he would vote for it because of its funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Jones, who joined the Senate earlier this month after an upset in his deep-red state of Alabama, campaigned heavily on the issue of CHIP funding.

Republican predicts late House vote

7:54 p.m.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), getting in an elevator in the Capitol with former Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), predicted there would not be a government shutdown and that House lawmakers would end up having to vote later tonight to keep the government open.

Cole told The Hill that he thinks Senate leaders may line up a vote on a shorter-term continuing resolution after the four-week funding bill likely fails, though he emphasized that was just his “guess.”

– Melanie Zanona

House Dem leaders huddle

7:51 p.m.

House Democratic leadership is huddling in Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office, just hours before the Senate is scheduled to vote on the House-passed funding bill.

– Melanie Zanona

Senate tees up 10 p.m. vote on House-passed funding bill

7:12 p.m.

Senate GOP leaders have teed up a 10 p.m. procedural cloture vote on the House-passed stopgap spending bill, which Democrats have opposed.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) needs 60 votes to overcome the procedural hurdle on the House bill but is expected to fall short.

Meanwhile, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise’s (R-La.) office said leadership did not expect “imminent votes” in the House but advised members to “please remain in town and flexible.”

Senate Democrats to huddle as shutdown looms

6:57 p.m.

Senate Democrats are expected to hold a closed-door caucus meeting at 8:30 p.m., less than four hours before the government is scheduled to shut down.

A Democratic aide confirmed the meeting.

The meeting comes after a relatively quiet evening at the Capitol despite the looming partial closure of the government.

Senate Republicans are expected to hold a procedural vote on the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) Friday night.

Democrats say they have the votes to block the bill, though three members — Sens. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) — have said they will support the House bill.

– Jordain Carney

Third Senate Dem backs House-passed funding bill

6:39 p.m.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) said Friday evening she will back a House-passed funding bill, becoming the third Democrat to support the measure.

“My vote to keep the government open is not an endorsement for a bill that just kicks the can down the road another few weeks,” she said in a statement.

Heitkamp, noting the House bill is the fourth back-to-back short-term bill, added, “Congress has become equivalent to Groundhog Day.”

In addition to Heitkamp, Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Joe Donnelly (Ind.) have also said they would support the House plan.

Each of the three senators is up for reelection in states won handily by Trump in 2016.

Even with their support, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is expected to vote fall short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a procedural hurdle on the House bill.

With up to four Republican senators voting “no,” McConnell will need as many as 13 Democratic senators. Democrats say they have the support to block the House measure.

– Jordain Carney

Trump budget chief predicts deal in 24 hours

5:52 p.m.

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney predicted Congress would reach a deal to avoid a government shutdown within the next day.

“I think there’s a deal in the next 24 hours,” he said during an interview on CNN.

The government will shut down if Congress does not pass a spending bill before midnight Friday, but Mulvaney said that is not much of a hard deadline because federal offices do not reopen until Monday.

“I look at it more in terms of what gets done before offices are supposed to open on Monday,” he said.

The White House has voiced optimism about the prospects of averting a shutdown, even as the outcome of spending talks on Capitol Hill remains uncertain as the deadline approaches.

President Trump hailed an “excellent” meeting with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) earlier Friday and declared progress toward resolving the impasse.

— Jordan Fabian

Senate Republicans divided over shorter stopgap funding bill

5:24 p.m.

Some rank-and-file Senate Republicans are throwing their support behind a days-long or potentially up to two-week continuing resolution (CR), arguing negotiators are close to an agreement but need more time.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) described lawmakers as on the “10-yard line” on a range of issues — including immigration, budget caps and a package of health-care bills — that could be resolved in a “short period of time.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told reporters she is pitching a two-week stopgap bill to fund the government past Friday at midnight, when it is currently set to shut down.

The Friday comments come after Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) pitched a days-long CR both at the Wednesday GOP lunch and publicly to reporters Thursday. GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) have backed that idea, while Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) also said he would support it.

The House passed a four-week bill on Thursday, funding the government through mid-February. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) floated a days-long “very short-term” bill on the Senate floor Thursday night.

– Jordain Carney

Trump, Ryan speak by phone

5:10 p.m.

President Trump spoke with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Friday afternoon, just hours before the government is set to shut down.

Ryan’s office confirmed the call took place, but a spokesman declined to detail their discussion.

“We are in constant communication with the White House,” spokesman Doug Andres said.

The president has been engaging in shuttle diplomacy with leaders on Capitol Hill in search of a deal as the clock ticks down to the midnight deadline.

He summoned Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to the White House earlier Friday, but they emerged without an agreement.

– Jordan Fabian

Second Dem senator says he’ll vote for CR

4:36 p.m.

Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) said Friday he will back the House-passed funding bill, becoming the second Democrat agreeing to support the measure.

“I was elected by the people of Indiana to work every day on behalf of Hoosiers to do my job as a United States senator. Keeping government running is our job and I will vote to keep the government open,” he said.

Donnelly pointed to the negative impact on fighting the opioid epidemic if the government were to shut down.

In addition to Donnelly, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is expected to support the continuing resolution to fund the government through mid-Febraury.

Donnelly and Manchin are both up for reelection in red states carried by President Trump during the 2016 election.

Ten Democratic senators, in total, are up for reelection in states carried by Trump.

— Jordain Carney

Cornyn: Next vote by early evening

4:08 p.m.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said that Senate Republicans will take their next vote on a House-passed government funding bill by early Friday evening.

“Sometime this afternoon, early evening,” Cornyn told reporters, when asked about the Senate’s schedule.

Senators voted on Thursday night to proceed to the House bill, with only two Republicans — Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Mike Lee (Utah) — voting against taking up the bill.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will need 60 votes to get the House-passed funding bill over the procedural hurdle. With Democrats, joined by a handful of GOP senators, opposed to the House bill, he is expected to fall short.

Congress has less than eight hours to prevent a government shutdown, with GOP leadership yet to outline a Plan B.

— Jordain Carney

Cornyn: Trump told Schumer to work it out with GOP leadership

3:33 p.m.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said President Trump told Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to work out his differences with GOP leadership during a White House meeting.

“The president told him to go back and talk to [Speaker] Paul Ryan [R-Wis.] and [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell [R-Ky.] and work it out,” said Cornyn, who was not in the meeting but recounted a conversation with White House chief of staff John Kelly following the meeting.

Cornyn added that Kelly told him there were “no agreements” during the White House confab between Trump and Schumer.

— Jordain Carney

Pelosi, Durbin seen going into Schumer’s office

2:49 p.m.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) were seen going into Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) office after he returned from his White House meeting with President Trump.

Schumer told reporters that progress had been made in his one-on-one talks with the president, but no deal was reached.

Schumer: ‘Made some progress’ with Trump, but no deal

2:40 p.m.

Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) says there are still “a number of disagreements” with President Trump on immigration and spending with a government shutdown set to go into effect at midnight.

Schumer, returning from an impromptu meeting at the White House, said he had “made some progress” with Trump.

“The discussions continue,” he said.

The lack of a breakthrough means the Senate will likely go ahead with a key procedural vote on a House-passed funding bill to keep the federal government operating until Feb. 16.

Democrats say they have the votes to block the measure because it does not include a deal to protect immigrants who came to the country illegally as children from deportation.

Trump delays trip to Mar-a-Lago

1:18 p.m.

It’s official: President Trump’s scheduled Friday afternoon departure for South Florida has been canceled as Congress barrels toward the government shutdown deadline at midnight.

The White House made the announcement as Trump kicked off a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), designed to break a partisan impasse over a spending bill.

Trump was scheduled to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, where he planned to host a $100,000-per-pair event to mark the first anniversary of his inauguration.

If Congress reaches a spending deal, it’s possible Trump could depart Washington on Saturday and still make the event.

Schumer, Trump to meet at White House

12:46 p.m.

Senate Minority Leader Schumer is expected to head to the White House to meet with Trump as the government faces a shut down.

A source confirmed the meeting, which was first reported by The New York Times, saying Trump “reached out” and invited the Senate Democratic leader.

The source added that the meeting “should be happening shortly.”

The powwow comes as Congress has less than 12 hours to prevent a partial government shutdown scheduled to start Saturday.

— Jordain Carney

McCarthy: Four-day funding bill could not pass House

12:35 p.m.

Twelve hours before a government shutdown, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) declared Friday that a four- to five-day stopgap funding measure proposed by a bipartisan group of senators could not pass the lower chamber.

“No, that wouldn’t be productive, wouldn’t solve our problems,” McCarthy told The Hill when asked about the proposal. “I think they should take” the one-month funding bill passed by the House on Thursday, he added.

Senate Democrats are planning to block the House-passed bill and force a shutdown at midnight Friday unless they can reach a deal with Republicans on shielding hundreds of thousands of young immigrants known as Dreamers from deportation.

But a handful of Senate Republicans — including Jerry Moran (Kan.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) — are backing a very short-term continuing resolution, or CR, that would keep the government’s lights on for another four to five days.

Schumer endorsed that idea Thursday night during a floor debate. But his GOP counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has rejected that approach, urging passage of the House funding bill.

“I don’t think anyone can answer” whether Congress can pass a four- to five-day CR, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told The Hill as he joined a strategy meeting with House Democrats.

McCarthy said a shutdown would be foolish for Democrats given that he’s continuing to negotiate in good faith on an immigration deal to protect recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

So will the government shutdown at midnight?

“That’s a question for Schumer,” McCarthy quipped.

House Freedom Caucus votes still in play

12:33 p.m.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, wouldn’t commit to backing a four- or five-day funding patch if it’s sent over from the Senate.

“I’ve got to see the bill,” Jordan said. “Some of our guys might stay around here to make sure it’s not unanimous consent.”

The conservative group struck a deal with GOP leadership to support the monthlong CR that passed the House on Thursday night in exchange for promises on defense spending and a conservative immigration bill. But Jordan wouldn’t say whether that deal also buys Freedom Caucus votes for another stopgap bill.

“We’ll have to see,” he added. “Those promises were based on the fact that we voted for that [monthlong] CR, which we did — and didn’t want to.”

— Melanie Zanona

House not rushing to exit DC

12:04 p.m.

House members are not rushing out the door despite initial claims by GOP leaders that the lawmakers could leave Washington, D.C., which would raise the odds of a shutdown.

Members of both parties voted to defeat a motion to adjourn, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) the sole vote in favor, and Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) voting “present.”

The latest guidance from the House majority whip’s office advised members to “remain flexible, as additional procedural votes are possible.”

Leadership huddles to talk immigration deal

12 p.m.

Four members of congressional leadership — collectively known as the No. 2s — are meeting to discuss a deal on the DACA program just hours before a government shutdown.

The group, which includes Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), have met several times this week. DACA is a pivotal issue in the shutdown battle, with Democrats looking to shelter the nearly 700,000 people protected under the Obama-era program that President Trump is unwinding.

Durbin, heading toward the meeting, said getting the outline or text of a DACA deal was possible in the next four or five days and that Democrats would support a days-long CR.

“Hope springs eternal,” he said, asked about the chances that Friday’s meeting results in a deal.

But Cornyn told reporters Thursday that a deal was not possible by the government shutdown deadline.

The government is set to shut down after midnight.

— Jordain Carney

Key senator seen on House floor

11:34 a.m.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a key figure in the immigration debate, was just seen on the House floor.

Durbin is believed to be heading to an immigration meeting with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

The meeting would come hours before a possible government shutdown that is linked in part to a fight over immigration.

— Melanie Zanona

Panel tells lawmakers what to expect from shutdown

11:31 a.m.

The House Administration Committee sent a “dear colleague” letter to member offices on Friday morning detailing what happens in the event of a shutdown.

The “Guidance on Potential Lapse in Appropriation” obtained by The Hill explains that employees who are deemed “essential” will still have to report to work and that members, delegates, the resident commissioner, leaders, chairmen, officers and office heads are to designate which employees that includes.

“All other House personnel shall be placed in a furlough status by the appropriate employing authority until further appropriations are made,” Committee Chairman Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) wrote.

Essential employees are defined as those whose work duties are related to a member’s constitutional responsibilities, the protection of human life or the protection of property, according to guidance on the committee’s website.

“Members’ constitutional responsibilities include all legislative activities, which are broadly defined for this purpose as all activities that are an integral part of the deliberative and communicative processes by which members participate in committee and House proceedings,” the guidance says.

— Lydia Wheeler

McConnell: Supporting House CR is a ‘no brainer’

11:23 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) ripped Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), saying he has flip-flopped on government funding and backed his caucus into a corner.

“I wish for all our sakes that the Democratic leader would figure out what he actually wants. I feel bad for his own members. He’s painted them into a corner,” McConnell said during his opening remarks from the Senate floor.

He added that approving the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) should be a “no brainer.”

McConnell appeared to be referencing Schumer’s support for a days-long CR. The Democratic leader argued on Thursday night that the short-term measure would give negotiators more time to reach a deal.

McConnell referenced the days-long proposal as a “last-ditch” effort that would lead to “another and another” short-term bill.

It does “not meet any of the demands that he and his own caucus and Democrats in the House have been making,” he said.

McConnell added that Democrats should “come back to reality.”

— Jordain Carney

Pelosi blasts GOP for leaving town

11:06 a.m.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is already criticizing House Republicans, who are expected to leave Washington on Friday ahead of a possible shutdown at midnight the same day.

The House is also slated to be out of session next week, a fact that Pelosi attributed to the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland.

“Every year the Republicans plan the January schedule so that they can go to Davos,” she said. “They want to spend next week hobnobbing with their elitist friends instead of honoring their responsibilities to the American people.”

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will not be going to Davos in the event of a shutdown, McCarthy spokesman Matt Sparks said.

— Mike Lillis

House GOP leaders to send lawmakers home

10:09 a.m.

House GOP leaders are giving their rank-and-file members the green light to leave Washington Friday after the last vote series of the week, set for late this morning, sources said.

It means House lawmakers won’t stick around the Capitol to see if the Senate passes the one-month government funding bill that the House passed a day earlier.

The feeling among House Republicans is that their chamber did it’s job and now it’s the Senate’s turn to avert a shutdown at midnight Friday. But Senate Democrats say they’ll filibuster the continuing resolution and force a shutdown unless there is a deal to protect young undocumented immigrants commonly known as “Dreamers.”

“Nothing has changed scheduling wise in the House. It currently stands that after the vote members are allowed to leave,” said a GOP aide familiar with the House schedule.

— Scott Wong