Schumer says stopgap spending bill until deal is reached ‘makes a good deal of sense’
Samantha-Jo Roth
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) expressed his support Tuesday for passing a stopgap spending bill to ensure the government is funded through early December, one day after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) also prepared his caucus for the same outcome.
The comment suggests a realization that both sides would not have enough time to work out a deal before the Sept. 30 deadline, otherwise risking a government shutdown.
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The Senate leader revealed he had discussed the potential of a stopgap funding measure with McCarthy in July before the August recess. McCarthy relayed a similar message during a Republican member-only conference call on Monday, acknowledging the reality that the House will only have 12 working days to pass its 11 remaining appropriations bills, negotiate with the Senate in conference committee, and keep the government funded.
“I think it was a good thing that [McCarthy] recognized that we needed a [continuing resolution] in September. I’m supportive of that,” Schumer said during a call with reporters Tuesday to recognize the one-year anniversary of Democrats passing the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved all 12 bills ahead of the August recess, setting them in line with the caps laid out in the Fiscal Responsibility Act negotiated by President Joe Biden and McCarthy. The agreement limits overall national security spending in fiscal 2024 to $886 billion, which is roughly a 3% increase from current levels. In fiscal 2025, defense spending would be capped at $895 billion, a 1% increase from the previous year.
The Senate’s bills set up a clash with the GOP-led House, as many representatives opposed the debt ceiling deal and refused to vote for it. An influential bloc of hard-line House conservatives is having a major influence on the spending process, and as a result, McCarthy and GOP leaders are preparing bills with less spending than what was previously agreed to in an effort to win over the votes of these members.
“The Senate appropriators have worked in a bipartisan way to report all 12 bills out. Every one of them had near unanimity, but bipartisan work,” Schumer said. “So, a CR until early December provides time for consideration of the bipartisan bills.”
“We urge our House colleagues to emulate the Senate. The only way we’re going to avoid a government shutdown is by bipartisan support in both houses. You cannot keep the government open if you just want to do it with one party. It just won’t work,” the New York senator said.
A short-term deal could pose a problem as members of the House Freedom Caucus have explicitly said they would not support a short-term continuing resolution and do not fear a government shutdown. A group of 15 Texas House Republicans are also vowing to vote down any bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security unless changes to U.S. border and migration policy are included. The GOP can only bear to lose four votes in order to move forward with legislation without any Democratic support.
Adding to the spending standoff: Biden’s new supplemental request for roughly $40 billion for additional assistance for Ukraine, funding for border policies, and disaster recovery efforts. Those funding priorities will be a difficult sell for House conservatives who are opposed to providing more Ukraine aid and have already expressed their disapproval of the spending levels laid out in the Senate’s bill.
Schumer said he wants to address the emergency funding “as quickly as possible,” but he did not specify whether that money would be included in the continuing resolution that would need to pass by the end of September to keep the government open.
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Additionally, the New York Democrat expressed his support for the Biden administration’s request for $13 million in disaster relief for Hawaii after wildfires destroyed parts of Maui and completely wiped out the historic town of Lahaina. The death toll rose to 99 on Tuesday, and Gov. Josh Green (D-HI) said the number could double in the coming days because it has been difficult to get in touch with people.
“I committed to [the Hawaiian senators] to have the Senate do everything we could to help Hawaii,” Schumer said. “Americans can’t fail to answer the call when our fellow Americans are suffering from disaster.”