Senate Republicans and some Democrats are warning that another government shutdown could be coming this fall after bipartisan spending negotiations stalled, forcing Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) to cancel a markup of four appropriations bills scheduled for Thursday.
The breakdown in talks between Collins and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Appropriations panel, marks a stark contrast to last year, when the committee approved many annual spending bills with strong bipartisan support. With midterm elections months away, the atmosphere in Congress has shifted dramatically.
"I think my Democratic friends at the direction of Sen. Schumer are not going to agree to a top-line [spending number] and they're not going to agree to vote for any appropriations bill, and Sen. Schumer is going to shut down government," said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) acknowledged another shutdown could be on the table but placed blame on Republicans. "These guys are the Keystone Cops. They don't know how to run the government, so a shutdown is always possible," he said.
What the Left Is Saying
Democrats say any potential shutdown would be Republicans' fault because they control the White House and both chambers of Congress. Senior Democrats on Tuesday said Republicans are pushing for a much larger increase in defense spending compared to nondefense programs.
"The ratio of four-and-a-half to one, the increase in defense over nondefense. We think that's way out of line," said Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the second-ranking Democrat on the Appropriations panel.
Schumer last week accused Collins of refusing to meet with Democratic negotiators, a claim Collins strongly denied. Democrats are already pointing fingers at Republicans for failing to reach an agreement on spending top lines and noted that a partisan dispute over immigration enforcement operations caused a 76-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans say Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is angling for another showdown over government funding right before the midterm election, similar to last year's fight over enhanced health insurance subsidies that led to a record-setting 43-day shutdown.
"Democrats want to shut us down," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee and senior member of the Appropriations panel. "Hopefully we can solve the problem. There's no support on the other side."
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is pushing for a messaging strategy to preemptively blame Democrats, circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter urging Republicans to begin laying groundwork for a shutdown battle in September and October.
"Democrats have been clear that they want to shut down government on October 1st because they believe that is their path to a majority in November," Scott wrote. He called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and other GOP senators to rally around a stopgap measure funding the government through the election.
What the Numbers Show
Negotiations have stalled over defense versus nondefense spending ratios, with Democrats objecting to what they describe as a 4.5-to-1 increase in defense spending compared to nondefense programs. A Republican aide called the Democrats' characterization misleading and said Collins made an "extremely reasonable" offer that Democrats rejected with an "extremely unreasonable" counteroffer.
Collins noted four appropriations bills have been worked out on a bipartisan basis, covering the legislative branch, military construction, and the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, and Veterans Affairs. She acknowledged a continuing resolution may be necessary despite her preference for passing individual appropriations bills.
"CRs create a lot of problems," Collins said Tuesday. "I certainly hope not [a shutdown], but we'll have to see. So far the negotiations are ongoing... but I would not describe them as going well."
The Bottom Line
The breakdown in bipartisan spending talks signals heightened partisan tensions heading into the fall. Republicans and Democrats each accuse the other of obstructing progress, while Collins works to advance appropriations without the markup votes originally planned. Senate Republicans plan to discuss political strategy for a potential October shutdown during a meeting with President Trump at the Capitol. What happens next will likely depend on whether Collins can restart negotiations with Murray or if both sides prepare for another funding showdown.
Scott is pushing for votes on bills by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) that would ensure essential federal workers are paid during a shutdown and limit official travel and congressional recesses during funding lapses.