Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer
Noman Sabit: Senate Democrats and a few Republicans on Thursday blocked a major government funding package that needs to pass by 11:59 p.m. Friday to avoid a government shutdown, signaling that negotiations between President Trump and Senate Democrats still have a way to go before reaching a deal.
A motion to advance the bill failed by a vote of 45-55.
Eight Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). Thune was a late “no” vote and immediately entered a motion to reconsider the package to give him flexibility to bring it back to the floor soon.
Democrats blocked the funding package, which includes six bills, because it includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
They say they will not support Homeland Security funding until the Trump administration agrees to reforms to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) large-scale immigration crackdown and puts an end to violent encounters between federal law enforcement and protesters.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, who played a major role in negotiating the spending package, announced on the Senate floor Thursday morning that she would vote “no” because the White House had still not agreed to a deal to separate Homeland Security funding from the bill.
She said that Democrats would be “very happy” to pass the five non-Homeland Security funding measures but declared that any package that includes the Homeland Security title is a non-starter with her and other Democrats.
“We are all in agreement on funding for child care, cancer research, air traffic controllers, our troops and more but we have also been clear that we cannot and will not move the DHS bill without real progress on accountability,” she said on the Senate floor.
“ICE and CBP are out of control,” she added, referring to Customs and Border Protection.
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There was some optimism in the Senate Thursday morning that the package might advance after Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Trump’s team made some progress on Wednesday toward potentially splitting off the Homeland Security bill and setting it aside for future reforms.
A source familiar with the discussions told The Hill that while no agreement had been reached yet, the discussions were ongoing and moving in Democrats’ direction.
Even so, that progress wasn’t enough to convince Murray and other Democrats to vote to advance the funding package.
“While I am very glad to see the White House and Republicans are now talking with Democrats to finalize a plan to pass the five bills and split off DHS, until that deal is finalized, I will be a no on this vote,” Murray announced on the floor.
In a surprising development. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), the centrist Democrat who repeatedly criticized his party in the fall for forcing a 43-day government shutdown, also voted “no” on advancing the bill.
A source familiar with Fetterman’s thinking said he voted against advancing the six-bill package with the expectation that blocking the package on the floor would set the stage for unbundling the Homeland Security appropriations measure from five other spending bills.
Fetterman called on Trump Tuesday to fire Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Seven fiscally conservative Republican senators also voted against the measure.
Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) also voted against proceeding to the bill.
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