| By Rebecca Kheel and Ellen Mitchell Lawmakers on Friday are scrambling to pass a spending measure and avoid a government shutdown at midnight. Government funding expires at the end of the day Friday, and the fate of a short-term bill to keep the government open is now in the hands of the Senate. On Thursday night, the House passed a month-long continuing resolution (CR) largely along party lines. But Senate Democrats are vowing to block it in their chamber, citing the lack of a fix for young immigrants. President Trump rescinded a program that protected so-called Dreamers brought illegally to the country as young children from deportation. Democrats vowed to reject any spending bill that did not address the issue. A few Senate republicans have also said they will not vote for the CR. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Friday afternoon that he and President Trump made progress in a meeting at the White House, but that no deal was struck. With a potential shutdown looming, the Pentagon released guidance Friday on what would happen there. Active-duty troops and civilians directly supporting them would continue to show up for work, but not get paid until Congress acts. Other civilians would be furloughed. Even if a deal is reached on the CR later Friday, the path ahead for a full-year of defense spending remains unclear. In order to secure the votes of conservatives on the CR, Republican House leaders promised to bring up a full year of defense appropriations later this month. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) likewise said he was promised the Senate would take up a defense appropriations bill in exchange for his vote on the CR. But Democrats would be unlikely to vote for it without a deal secured on non-defense spending. With the budget battles dragging on well into the fiscal year, the Pentagon continues to sound the alarm on damage to the force. "For too long, we have asked our military to stoically carry a 'success at any cost' attitude as they work tirelessly to accomplish the mission with now inadequate and misaligned resources, simply because the Congress could not maintain regular order," Defense Secretary James Mattis said in a speech Friday. "The consequences of not providing a budget are clear. Without a sustained budget, ships will not receive the required maintenance to put to sea; the ships already at sea will be extended outside of port; aircraft will remain on the ground, their pilots not at the sharpest edge; and eventually, eventually ammunition, training and manpower will not be sufficient to deter war." Think tanks have a number of events with U.S. officials on tap for next week. Some committee hearings were also scheduled as of Friday, but could be sidelined in the event of a shutdown. Former Pentagon acquisition head Frank Kendall will speak at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on charting a new course for the defense industrial base 10 a.m. Monday in Washington. http://bit.ly/2mlSMaC CIA Director Mike Pompeo will speak on the Trump administration's national security challenges at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. http://bit.ly/2EUlFCD The Foundation for Defense of Democracies will host a lunch conversation with Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, at noon Tuesday in Washington. http://bit.ly/2rmQk9J Former Vice President Joe Biden will talk foreign affairs issues at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. http://on.cfr.org/2rlugfL Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will speak on U.S. responses to the North Korean threat at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hudson Institute in Washington. http://bit.ly/2DthArV A Senate Armed Services Committee subpanel will hear from military officials on officer personnel management and the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980 at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the Russell Senate Office Building, room 222. http://bit.ly/2rsPIzF Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller will speak at CSIS at 9 a.m. Thursday. http://bit.ly/2reLhYW Former secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, and former deputy secretary of State Richard Armitage will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the U.S. national security strategy at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room G-50. http://bit.ly/2DkUT5S Gen. James Holmes, the commander of the Air Force's Air Combat Command, will speak at the Brookings Institution on the future of warfare and multi-domain battle spaces at 10 a.m. Thursday in Washington. http://brook.gs/2rmRu55 The CSIS will hear from military officials on new operational concepts for integrated air and missile defense at 2 p.m. Thursday in Washington. http://bit.ly/2DaFEMK The Hudson Institute will hold a discussion on sustaining U.S. leadership against nuclear terrorism and proliferation at 10 a.m. Friday in Washington. http://bit.ly/2mSDmLv Recent stories: -- China, Russia listed as top threats in Pentagon's new National Defense Strategy -- Ryan: Budget fights have pushed military 'past the breaking point' -- Tillerson outlines plan for long-term US military role in Syria -- Graham: Seoul 'undercutting' Trump by allowing North Korea at Olympics -- House panel to hold hearing on false Hawaii missile alert -- Commanders at time of fatal ship collisions charged with homicide -- GOP chairman blames Democrats for defense budget holdup -- Pentagon planning two new nuclear weapons: report | 
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