Senate strikes deal to vote on $1.2T federal spending bill but misses government shutdown deadline

The Senate struck a deal Friday night to bring a $1.2 trillion federal spending bill up for a vote – but not before missing a midnight deadline, triggering a partial government shutdown.

While the spending package is expected to easily clear the upper chamber, Senators deadlocked for hours on whether to vote on amendments to the massive bill, which cleared the House of Representatives on Friday. 

With minutes to go before the deadline, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that an agreement had been reached on a series of votes on amendments which, when concluded, would result in a final vote on the legislation early Saturday morning. 

“It is good for the American people that we have reached a bipartisan agreement on funding the government tonight,” Schumer said from the Senate floor.

The impact to government operations will be limited as long as senators are able to pass the bill before Monday, the start of the work week.

Federal offices are closed for the weekend and many government agencies are fully funded because of the previous so-called “minibus” legislation that President Biden signed into law earlier this month. 

Any amendments successfully added to the legislation would send the measure back to the House for approval – but the lower chamber adjourned for a two-week recess Friday afternoon.

Some Republicans were eager to force votes on amendments related to border security, immigration, Iran sanctions and the Laken Riley Act despite the fact that if any were to pass it would all but guarantee a prolonged shutdown. 

GOP members argued that by refusing to vote on amendments, Democrats are the ones responsible for shutdown. 

“Senate Democrats are again threatening to shut the government down to avoid voting on border security amendments,” Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) wrote on X, before the midnight deadline. “The question to ask them: Would they rather shut down the government than shut down charter flights for illegal immigrants into American cities?” 

The Tennessee Republican also suggested that vulnerable Senate Democrats up for re-election were “afraid” of having their amendment votes go on the record.

“Democrat Senators are afraid to take a position on Biden’s failed policies by voting on amendments to the appropriations bill,” Hagerty argued. “They’d rather shut down the government than take a position on President Biden’s failures.”

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) blamed Republicans. 

“Well, it looks like we’re headed for a shutdown at the hands of Senate Republican gremlins who (1) know that amendments can’t pass because there’s no House to send an amended bill back to (they adjourned) and (2) want amendments anyway. And (3) can’t decide amongst themselves what won’t-pass amendments they want,” the Rhode Island Democrat tweeted.

“I sure hope I’m wrong.  But the Republican Senate caucus is a rudderless ship right now, so the gremlins are running the show,” Whitehouse added. 

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who’s up for re-election, indicated that he was not opposed to voting on amendments despite the political risk. 

“There’s opportunities here to separate myself from some people,” Tester told reporters. “[Republicans are] the ones that killed the best immigration bill we’ve ever had on the floor of the Senate. The same Republicans … killed it. They better look in the mirror if they want to do something about immigration.”

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), however, told reporters that Tester was privately telling members that he doesn’t want to vote on amendments. 

“That’s bullshit,” Tester said of the accusation. 

Further complicating the Senate proceedings was the funeral for the mother of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), which is slated for Saturday and some senators wished to attend, according to NBC News.

Collins, elected to the Senate in 1996, has never missed a vote. 

The spending bill addresses funding for the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, State and the legislative branch.

The lower chamber voted 286-134 to approve the 1,012-page bill, which funds those departments and entities until Sept. 30.

GOP proponents of the package pointed to a $200 billion cut in federal spending over the next 10 years — including a $6 billion clawback of unused COVID-19 relief funds.

Defense spending will see a $27 billion increase, including a 5.2% pay bump for US service members.

The package also includes $3.3 billion in continued funding for Israel and $300 million in Pentagon funding to aid Ukraine’s war effort.

House GOP leadership further celebrated cuts to funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency, a Palestinian refugee aid group that had employees participate in the Oct. 7 terror attack against Israel, as well as for federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Democrats approved of having rejected “right-wing” add-ons.

“As far as I could tell, the overwhelming majority of right-wing policy riders have been rejected and are not part of the spending agreement, including in critical areas,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said at a Thursday press conference.

Congress passed an earlier six-bill, $467.5 billion “minibus” on March 8 which funded the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Transportation, Commerce, Justice and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Food and Drug Administration and military construction.

When the second component passes, it will complete a topline $1.66 trillion spending agreement that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reached in January, comprised of $886 billion in defense funding and $704 billion in non-defense discretionary funding.