Folks, I’m sipping my coffee and trying to wrap my head around this one. The Senate passed a bill on Saturday to extend government funding to December 11, because, you know, a shutdown ahead of the midterm elections would be a real nightmare. I mean, can you imagine the headlines? “Government Shuts Down: Chaos Ensues” – Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying. Anyway, the bill would need to be taken up by the House next, where its fate is as uncertain as my fantasy football team’s chances of winning this season.
The Senate moved to tackle the funding deadline over a month in advance of the September 30 deadline, which is like me trying to get a head start on my holiday shopping – it’s a good idea, but let’s see if I actually follow through. It’s not yet clear though if lawmakers will manage to stave off a funding fight next month, because, well, it’s Congress.
The bill passed by the Senate would next have to be taken up by the House, where its fate is uncertain as that chamber has already passed an alternative measure. You know, it’s like trying to get my kids to agree on what to watch on TV – good luck with that. The Senate measure differs from a funding extension passed by the House in several ways, including a lack of funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, which have already been funded through the end of President Donald Trump’s term.
The Senate vote to pass the funding bill came in the early hours of Saturday morning, as senators attempted to wrap up a number of legislative items before departing Washington to return to their home states for the August recess. I guess you could say they were trying to get their work done before their summer break, kind of like me trying to finish my yard work before the weekend is over. Ultimately, in addition to adopting the measure to extend government funding into December, the Senate also confirmed acting attorney general Todd Blanche as the permanent head of the Department of Justice, and, separately, rejected a voter ID measure.
However, Senate Republicans chose to delay for now a vote on their budget resolution, which was meant to be a party-line package containing defense funding and parts of a controversial elections bill, after President Donald Trump called into a late meeting at the Capitol with several senators on Friday night to discuss their options. I mean, who doesn’t love a good late-night meeting to discuss politics? It’s like a real-life episode of The West Wing, minus the charming characters.
Trump had demanded that the Senate pass the budget resolution before leaving town for their recess, and GOP Sen. Mike Lee had said he would object to any effort to speed up consideration and leave if the budget resolution did not pass. Both Trump and Lee have been pushing for the president’s elections package, known as the “SAVE America Act,” for months. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.
However, Sen. Ron Johnson, who chairs the Senate budget committee, told reporters that during a meeting in Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s office on Friday night, the president called in and there was unanimous agreement that the GOP senators will go back to the drawing board for a “better” budget resolution, including more defense funding, that they can pursue when they return in September, rather than face a failed vote to advance a budget resolution this week. Bless their hearts, they’re going to try again in September.
In conclusion, the Senate passed a bill to extend government funding to December 11, and now it’s up to the House to decide what to do next. It’s like watching a game of legislative ping-pong, folks. The Senate also confirmed some people, rejected some measures, and delayed a vote on a budget resolution. All in a day’s work for our lawmakers. And on that note, I’m going to refill my coffee cup, because this is going to be a long few months. 💼😴
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
