Houston… we have a problem.
The House funding bill that had passed finally hit the floor in the Senate, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) having presented a list of demands for what it would take for the Dems to support the bill.
It was not a surprise to see the bill fail, but I had to admit, I was shocked not only at the number of Republicans who crossed the aisle, but also by the names.
Nearly two weeks ago, the House passed the funding bill, but the Senate was not in session, and that break is something Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is going to regret.
The funding bill flew through the House, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) taking a victory lap.
He stated, “We’re returning the appropriations process to a committee-led, member-driven approach, as it should be.”
Since the bill passed the House, Alex Pretti was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents, and all hell has broken loose in Congress.
Trump tried to get things calmed down by inviting Senate Democrat leadership for a meeting, but that meeting was declined.
The White House stated, "The White House hopes to avoid another debilitating government shutdown, and invited Democrats for a listening session to better understand their position. It’s unfortunate their leadership blocked the meeting."
Instead, Schumer held a press conference to reveal his list of demands that must be met if Democrats will support the bill.
The demands were to remove the masks for agents and keep their body cameras on, a uniform code of conduct, and an end to the roving patrols that have been used to round up illegals (as part of that demand, Schumer also requested more uniform warrant rules).
When the bill went to the floor, Democrats were unified, but seven Republicans also voted to block the funding. They are Sens. Ted Budd (R-NC), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mike Lee (R-UT), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Rand Paul (R-KY), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). Paul is no surprise, but the rest of that group are usually Trump allies, so this was completely shocking to me.
Dems want the other five bills to pass to avert a shutdown, with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) stating, "Democrats are ready to avert a shutdown. We have five bills we all agree on. About 95% of the remaining budget. It is ready to go. We can pass those five bills, no problem. All Leader Thune has to do is tee them up for a vote."
If I were Thune, I would get those bills on the floor ASAP before they change their minds. There was funding to keep DHS operational in the big, beautiful bill, so this can go to debate, and they can figure it out later if need be.
I don’t expect Trump or Republicans to meet that list of demands, but once tempers cool down, perhaps they can find some middle ground that everyone can live with. Right now, the most important thing is to get that budget passed and avoid another shutdown.
