Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is throwing an oddity into the shutdown battle as he plans to unveil a full-year Pentagon budget proposal on Thursday, effectively daring Democrats to oppose it as part of their push to keep health care at the forefront of the impasse.
Democrats are almost unanimous in their opposition to the GOP’s “clean” bill to fund the government through Nov. 21. The Senate voted against the continuing resolution passed by the House for the ninth time on Wednesday, with another vote on the emergency solution expected on Thursday.
But Thursday’s vote on the defense bill represents more of a gamble, and leaders largely said Wednesday they had not yet decided what to do.
The full-year bill is the result of a bipartisan budget process and passed out of committee earlier this year by a vote of 26-3. And it would fund military salaries, which could be at risk again if the shutdown drags on until the end of the month.
At the same time, Democrats want to appear steadfast in their opposition to the Trump administration, noting they have received no guarantees about what Republicans might add to the defense bill once it clears the procedural hurdle on Thursday.
“It seems like a tough vote,” Thune told The Hill on Wednesday. “Because they all say they want a normal approval process, and we’re trying to give them one. I understand it’s in the middle of a shutdown, which is a complicating dynamic here.”
“We have to move the approval process in one direction or the other,” said Thune. “If we vote here every day and they continue to vote to shut down the government, then we’re going to have to try to get the ball rolling on some of the other things that we need to get done.”
In addition to the Pentagon spending bill, the Senate will also consider a measure that would allow lawmakers to talk to the House about a three-bill “minibus” that was given the green lithe earlier this year. Thune and Senate Republicans are also considering attaching a number of other spending bills to the Pentagon bill.
That includes the bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services in an attempt to win over Democrats. Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) also told reporters that she hopes to attach the bill to fund the departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, as well as a separate bill for the departments of Commerce, Justice and Science.
But whether the Democrats will play along is a massive question. Several key party leaders expressed concerns Wednesday when pressed about how they would handle the vote.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats would have to see what Republicans would try to add to the bill before deciding.
“We don’t know yet what they’re going to offer,” agreed Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the top Democratic appropriator. “Let’s see what they do tomorrow.”
The Senate will technically vote on the defense budget bill passed by the House, but only as a vehicle. That language is widely expected to be replaced by the Senate’s version, along with the other funding bills the two sides agree to.
If the bill clears the procedural hurdle, the chamber would then move on to a replacement item – but this would require the approval of the entire chamber.
That, too, remains a stepping stone, especially as Democrats continue to fret over the possibility that the Trump administration will take further steps to claw back funds on a partisan basis that had passed the Senate with bipartisan support.
“But as far as I can tell, Patty Murray has shown no signs of bipartisan cooperation or willingness to put up barriers to her plans,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R-I). “I think we’re at a stage where we haven’t been shown anything, so there’s no reason to vote for it yet.”
“What was needed was a broader agreement on how the grants process should move forward so that it is clear that our priorities are being respected,” he added.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), an appropriator, has recently been a supporter of moving the full-year tallies, particularly because they include Democratic victories. Still, she is sticking to her party line as she waits for a final decision on what to connect.
“I think it’s helpful. From what I understand, there will be more bills coming forward on this, and then if we commit to moving forward with the appropriations, that will help us,” she said, failing to say whether she was voting “yes” or “no.”
A failed count of the defense bill would also expose Democrats to attacks aimed at blocking future payments for military personnel, which are due again in two weeks after the Trump administration announced plans Wednesday to pay them out with $8 billion in unused research and development funds.
In the House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced Wednesday that he would do so Do not return the lower chamber to vote on a year-round Pentagon bill until the government reopens, but also expressed doubt that the measure would still pass the Senate.
The Senate bill contains some significant differences from the House version, which would need to be approved by the lower chamber. Johnson kept the House of Representatives out of Washington DC for the duration of the lockdown in order to hinder the Democrats in the Senate.
“My suspicion is that the Democrats will play their same political games and stop,” Johnson said. “I hope this surprises me.”
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, insist that Democrats should support the measure. They quickly noted Wednesday that the bill passed overwhelmingly in slow July and that the current state of play is unlikely to change how they view the funding point now.
“This is a bill that passed out of committee … 26-3,” Senate Majority Leader John Barrasso (Republican of Wyoming) told The Hill. “Don’t you think you can get a bill out of committee that passed 26-3 and the Democrats will change their mind?”
