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By Sylvan Lane
The federal government is hours away from shutting down with lawmakers at odds on a short-term spending bill. Lawmakers must pass a spending bill before funding for the federal government expires at midnight. Congress drifted closer to a shutdown late Thursday after the House approved a month-long funding bill on a largely party-line vote. But Senate Democrats are vowing to block the measure. They oppose the bill because it does not include protections from deportation for so-called Dreamers, immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. They hope that by taking a hard line, they can force GOP leaders to the negotiating table on immigration and raising discretionary spending caps. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) adjourned the Senate until 11 a.m. Friday without scheduling a vote on the House measure, giving lawmakers just 13 hours to reach a deal to avert a shutdown. A Senate vote to advance the House funding bill is expected to fail, with Democrats and some Republicans lining up against the measure. McConnell needs 60 votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster and pass a bill. Despite the time crunch, the blame game was ramping up, with Republicans and Democrats pointing fingers at each other over the looming shutdown. Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) met with President Trump on Friday in hopes of brokering a deal. But after the meeting, Schumer said they had made progress but there was still no deal. "We made some progress but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussion will continue," Schumer told reporters outside the Capitol. Republicans have tried to ramp up pressure on Dems, noting that the House-passed short term bill also extends funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years and would delay three unpopular ObamaCare taxes. But Democrats want assurances on immigration reform. A senior Democratic aide said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) won't have "near enough" votes to pass the four-week stopgap though.
"We want Republicans to need to negotiate," said the aide. Both sides on Friday were bracing for the looming shutdown. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said Friday that if the government shuts down, it won't be as bad as 2013. He accused the Obama administration of taking actions to make the shutdown worse for the public. Mulvaney said "the Obama administration weaponized the shutdown in 2013" for political purposes by closing popular attractions like national parks. He said the Trump administration isn't planning to do the same. Despite his pledge, Mulvaney, though, struggled to name ways the shutdown would be different than 2013. Government shutdowns are rare, especially when one party controls both chambers of Congress and the White House. The last shutdown was in 2013 and lasted 17 days. If a shutdown happens, many major federal responsibilities, like sending Social Security checks and operating the military, would continue. Each federal agency has a shutdown plan, written in consultation with the OMB, and the administration would have some wiggle room in what it does. In general, government operations and employees deemed "essential," like those in the military and law enforcement, would continue to report to work. It's a label that applies to more than half of the 2.1 million or so non-postal federal employees. Those workers would still get paid, but not until after the shutdown ends. During the 2013 shutdown, 850,000 individuals were furloughed per day, according to the OMB. If the government doesn't shutdown, the Senate is slated to be in session in the coming week. The Senate Banking Committee is planning to hold a confirmation hearing for three important financial regulatory nominees. The panel will grill Jelena McWilliams, Trump's nominee for chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Marvin Goodfriend to be a governor of the Federal Reserve board; and Thomas Workman to be the Financial Stability Oversight Council member representing the insurance industry. Recap the week with Overnight Finance: Tuesday: Lawmakers see shutdown odds rising | Trump calls for looser rules for bank loans | Consumer bureau moves to revise payday lending rule | Trump warns China on trade deficit Wednesday: Shutdown drama grips Capitol | White House backs short-term spending bill | Mulvaney begins consumer bureau shake-up Thursday: Latest as shutdown looms | House Freedom Caucus may have deal with GOP leaders | Senate Dems look to force McConnell to negotiate | Whip list - Tight vote in Senate | Trump baffles GOP with tweet Today's stories: | 
