Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.D.) is throwing a curveball in the shutdown fight as he plans to introduce a full-year spending bill for the Pentagon on Thursday, effectively daring Democrats to oppose it as part of their effort to keep health care at the forefront of the impasse.
Democrats have been almost completely united in their opposition to the GOP’s “clean” bill to fund the government through Nov. 21. The Senate voted against the continuing resolution passed by the House for the ninth time on Wednesday, and another vote on the interim solution is expected on Thursday.
But Thursday’s vote on the defense bill represents more of a gamble, and leaders said Wednesday they had not yet decided what to do.
The full-year bill is the result of a bipartisan appropriations process and passed out of committee on a 26-3 vote earlier this year. And it would fund military salaries that could be at stake again if the shutdown extends through the end of the month.
At the same time, Democrats want to appear firm in their opposition to the Trump administration, saying they have received no assurances about what Republicans might attach to the defense bill once it clears Thursday’s procedural hurdle.
“It seems like it’s a tough vote,” Thune told The Hill on Wednesday. “Because everyone says they want a normal appropriations process, and we’re trying to give them one. I get it, it’s in the middle of a shutdown, which is a complicated dynamic here.”
“We need to get the appropriations process moving forward either way,” Thune said. “If we’re sitting here voting every day and they keep voting to keep the government closed, we need to try to move the needle on some of the other things we need to do.”
In addition to the Pentagon spending bill, the Senate will also consider a measure that would allow lawmakers to meet with the House on a three-bill “minibus” that got the green light earlier this year. Thune and Senate Republicans are also considering incorporating a number of other spending bills into Pentagon legislation.
Among them is the bill funding the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, which would be done in an attempt to win over Democrats. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) also told reporters that she hopes to attach the bill that funds the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development departments, along with a separate one for the Commerce and Justice departments and science agencies.
But an important question is whether Democrats will cooperate. Several key party leaders demurred when pressed Wednesday on how they would handle the vote.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats needed to see what Republicans would try to attach to the bill before making a decision.
“We still don’t know what they are going to offer,” agreed Senator Patty Murray (Washington), the main Democratic entity in charge of the allocation. “Let’s see what they do tomorrow.”
Technically, the Senate will vote on the House-passed defense appropriations bill, but only as a vehicle. That language is widely expected to be changed by the Senate version along with the other funding bills both sides agree to.
If the bill clears the procedural hurdle, the House would move toward a substitute article, but would need the consent of the entire House.
That, too, remains a leap, especially as Democrats continue to lament the possibility that the Trump administration will take further steps to recover partisan funds that had been approved by the Senate with bipartisan support.
“But the best I can tell is that Patty Murray has not been shown any sign of bipartisan cooperation or willingness to put up barriers to what they plan to do,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.). “I think the stage we’re at is that they haven’t shown us anything, so there’s no reason to vote for it yet.”
“What is needed is a broader agreement on how the appropriations process will move forward, so that it is clear that our priorities are respected,” he added.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), one of those in favor, has recently been in favor of moving the year-round elements, especially since they contain Democratic victories. However, she is sticking to the party line as they wait for a final word on what will be attached.
“I think it’s helpful. My understanding is that other bills will be introduced, and then if we have a commitment to move forward with appropriations, that will help us,” he said, declining to say whether he will vote “yes” or “no.”
A failed recount on the defense bill would also open Democrats to attacks to block future payments to members of the military, which are due again in two weeks after the Trump administration announced plans Wednesday to pay them with $8 billion in unspent research and development funds.
In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) indicated Wednesday that he would not bring the House back to vote on a full-year Pentagon bill until the government reopens, while expressing doubt that the measure would pass the Senate anyway.
The Senate bill contains some stark differences from the House version, which the lower chamber would have to approve. Johnson has kept the House out of Washington, D.C., during the shutdown, in an attempt to stymie Senate Democrats.
“My suspicion is that the Democrats are going to play their same political games and stop that in its tracks,” Johnson said. “I hope that surprises me.”
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Senate insist that Democrats should support the measure. They were quick to point out Wednesday that the bill advanced in late July by an overwhelming majority, and that the current situation should change little about how they now view the funding issue.
“This is a bill that passed out of committee…26 to 3,” Senate Majority Leader John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told The Hill. “You don’t think you can take a bill out of committee that passed 26-3 and the Democrats are going to change their minds?”
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