The House and Senate are back in session Sunday with a federal government shutdown in its second day amid a spending-bill impasse in Congress. The House is supposed to be on recess this week, but members stayed in Washington as negotiations continue.
Here are the latest developments, updated throughout the day:
Pivotal Day Could Yield Quick Deal or Long Impasse
Congress is holding an unusual Sunday session that may be lawmakers’ last chance for a quick end to the shutdown.
While the partial shutdown began officially at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, federal agencies are largely waiting until Monday to implement it. That gives lawmakers one more deadline to act before the shutdown is in full force.
Publicly, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are dug in to their opposite positions. Behind the scenes, a senior House Republican said Saturday that vote-counters were being told a deal could be reached Sunday to reopen the government.
Failing that, McConnell threatened a 1 a.m. vote Monday on his proposal to fund the government for three weeks, with no action on Democrats’ immigration proposal.
“We’ll be right back at this tomorrow and as long as it takes” to pass a spending bill, McConnell said Saturday evening.
Schumer told CNN he still wants a bipartisan deal that sets budget caps for defense and non-defense spending, protects young undocumented immigrants from deportation, and provides disaster relief funds. He said the White House hasn’t called him and “they say they are not negotiating — that’s foolish.”
The senior House Republican said vote-counters are being told a deal could be reached Sunday to reopen and fund the government until Feb. 8 with a promise for a floor vote on Democrats’ demand to protect young immigrants from deportation.
Some Democrats sound more flexible about the terms of reopening the government, seeking more of a solid path toward an immigration bill and other goals than immediate action.
“Depending on the commitments they make, that could be good,” said Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. “If it’s just, well, Feb. 8 and just another delay, no, that’s not going to be acceptable.”
Second-ranking Senate Democrat Dick Durbin also showed willingness to compromise, but said there are concerns that even if an immigration bill passed the chamber, the Republican House would never take it up. That happened in 2013, when the Senate approved a comprehensive immigration plan that was ignored by the House.
“We don’t want a similar fate. What we’re looking for is not a guaranteed outcome, but an opportunity outcome. A freestanding bill is not a very great opportunity,” Durbin said.
A bipartisan group of 19 senators, led by Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Joe Manchin, also met with the goal of agreeing on a plan to present to leadership on Sunday.
“We’re trying to see if we can talk to the leadership on both sides and tell them what we think is a pathway forward,” Manchin said. Immigration “has to be part of the package,” he said.
The White House insists that it won’t negotiate on immigration until Congress passes a spending bill to reopen the government. — Laura Litvan and Billy House
Here’s What Happened Saturday:
- The U.S. government began a partial shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after Senate Democrats and some Republicans voted to block a stopgap spending measure that would have extended funding through Feb. 16. The vote was 50-49, with 60 votes needed to advance the measure.
- Republicans and Democrats dug in their heels publicly over who’s to blame for the shutdown while behind the scenes lawmakers continued to discuss a short-term stopgap bill. White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of mischaracterizing the senator’s discussions with Trump. Schumer said, “Negotiating with President Trump is like negotiating with Jell-O.”
- Because of the shutdown, Trump stayed home from a planned weekend trip to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for a lavish party celebrating a year since his inauguration. He angrily blasted Democrats, writing on Twitter, “Democrats are holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration. Can’t let that happen!”
— With assistance by Laura Litvan, Billy House, Arit John, and Justin Sink
