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Senate advances CR as it inches toward government shut down deadline
The Senate failed to reach an agreement Monday on further amendments to the continued spending resolution that would prevent a government shut down by funding federal spending through the fiscal year.
Despite some GOP opposition, the Senate voted 63-35 on a motion to end debate on the bill after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said a few senators would not agree to let the bill move forward without votes on their amendments. The vote showed there is enough support for final passage of the bill, expected later this week.
“Everyone has to look at this from way up high and realize how much has been accomplished in a week,” Reid said. “People have requested further changes to the bill and we’ve tried hard.”
The Senate is considering the continued spending resolution, negotiated by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and ranking member Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), which sets the same spending levels as a government funding measure approved by the House earlier this month.
“Number one, this avoids a government shut down,” Shelby said. “That should appeal to everyone in this body.”
If the House and Senate don’t agree on a final bill by March 27, the government will shut down.
“Do we want to make the perfect the enemy of the good?” Mikulski said. “Do we want to avoid a government shut down? Say what, Sen. Mikulski — a government shutdown? … We could actually pass a bill that the House would accept — hallelujah.”
Reid proposed that there be nine more amendment votes — mostly on GOP amendments — before final passage, but Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) objected, saying she wanted a vote on her amendment to reallocate $380 million for a missile program to the military operations and maintenance budget in light of sequester cuts.
Reid said changes to defense spending could jeopardize House approval.
“The House was very emphatic that they would not be flexible on funding defense matters,” Reid said.
Reid has said he wanted to finish work on the C.R. by the end of Monday so that the House had time to vote on the Senate changes. He also wanted to finish work on the measure so that the Senate could move onto consideration of the budget resolution in order to complete work before the Easter recess.
Unless a deal is reached, a vote on final passage of the C.R. can't occur until 30 hours after cloture is invoked.
Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Roy Blunt (Mo.), John Boozman (Ark.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), Mike Johanns (Neb.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), John Hoeven (N.D.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Shelby voted with Democrats to advance the bill. Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.) was the only Democrat to vote against the motion.
This article was updated at 7:20 p.m. to include how some senators voted.
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