Latest news with #GOP-only
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Schumer's strategy for avoiding a shutdown strategy scramble
Chuck Schumer is quietly turning his caucus toward a critical decision on how to handle a fall funding showdown, after he and Senate Democrats faced blistering criticism from the party's base earlier this year. As the chamber is set to vote Tuesday to tee up the first tranche of government funding bills, the Senate minority leader is holding discussions with his colleagues about what their strategy should be ahead of the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline. Democrats are having behind-the-scenes conversations on this topic, including during a more than hour-long meeting last week. Schumer is expected to have more member-level discussions about the September roadmap over the next two weeks, and has been in close touch with Democrats on the Appropriations Committee. He is also meeting with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday to discuss funding endgame strategy, said three people granted anonymity to speak candidly. Those private discussions come as Schumer has stopped short of threatening a shutdown publicly — even as he warns Republicans against pursuing GOP-only spending tactics. 'He is making recommendations and listening to our recommendations,' Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said about Schumer in an interview, adding that Democrats are 'starting to have significant discussions within the caucus about Sept. 30 and the appropriations and [continuing resolution] process.' Schumer's decision to have conversations months in advance underscores what many in the caucus will acknowledge: Democrats are trying to be proactive by not waiting until they return from the weeks-long August recess to start feeling out their strategy, when they'll have few legislative days left to figure out how to fund the government. Ultimately, Schumer will make the final play call. But while Democrats want to see him find a strategy that unifies the party after facing intense criticism from the progressive base for helping advance a GOP-only bill earlier this year to avoid a shutdown, Democrats haven't settled on a strategy. Schumer's role, so far, is largely to facilitate the caucus' private conversations and act as a soundboard as needed. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), asked about what guidance Democrats are now hearing from Schumer, said the New Yorker was currently in 'listening mode.' 'You know, generally, Chuck listens to people and then he typically tries to pull together the best thoughts of everyone for the policy, but he never ignores anyone,' Reed said. Democrats are mulling a range of proposals internally with Schumer about what conditions they can place on Republicans in exchange for voting to move ahead with shutdown-averting legislation, according to two people granted anonymity to share private deliberations. So far, Democrats have floated the idea of making Republicans agree to a deal on the budget process and specific policy concessions, or locking in a commitment from Senate Republicans that they will not support additional rescissions packages — potentially publicly or in writing. There has been no agreement among Democrats, however, about what formal demands they will make of Senate Republicans, who need Democratic votes to reach a 60-vote threshold to advance a government funding bill. And, said the two people with knowledge of the conversations, it's too soon to say which idea will end up as the lead contender. Senate Democrats will face their first government funding decision Tuesday, with Republicans teeing up the first procedural vote on a package of government funding bills that have passed the Senate Appropriations Committee largely on a bipartisan basis. Democrats appear to be leaning toward at least helping start debate on the package. But Schumer told his No. 2, Dick Durbin, that he wants to have a full caucus discussion Tuesday about how to handle that first tranche of funding measures before announcing a strategy, the Illinois Democrat said in an interview Monday. Publicly, Schumer is trying to keep the pressure on Republicans, accusing Senate Majority Leader John Thune of 'talking a bit out of both sides of his mouth' on government funding by talking up the importance of the normal appropriations process while also greenlighting efforts by the administration to clawback funding previously blessed by Congress. 'If Leader Thune wants to talk about bipartisanship, he should focus on keeping his side of the street clean first,' Schumer said. He warned in a letter to his caucus earlier this month that Republicans shouldn't bank on having help from Democrats on government funding if they pursue go-it-alone funding strategies like the rescissions package. But Schumer has also declined multiple times to discuss what the outcome would be for such actions, telling reporters late last week to ask Republicans if they were willing to stand up to White House budget director Russ Vought. Across the Capitol, Jeffries is drawing his own line on government funding, saying Monday at a press conference, 'it's my expectation that if Republicans try to jam a highly partisan spending bill down the throats of the American people here in the house, we will reject it.' But while the two New Yorkers face a similar dilemma, Schumer also faces a tougher task: House Republicans don't need Democratic votes to pass legislation if they can achieve near-unity — a rare occurrence for the fractious conference but, as they have proven, not impossible. Schumer's caucus, in contrast, plays a more decisive role given the need for 60 votes for the Senate to advance a funding bill to avoid a shutdown. "Here's the reality: we have to have a budget. We've got 47 votes, they've got 53,' said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), in an interview. 'How we deal with that, when we've got 47-53, remains to be seen.' Katherine Tully-McManus, Jennifer Scholtes and Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.
Politico
18-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
Hill Republicans brace for another grueling fight over Trump's spending cuts
'The appropriations process has to be less bipartisan,' Vought said. Without a course correction from the administration, there's no guarantee Republicans would welcome another interruption of their legislative agenda to conduct another exercise that exposes them to Democratic attacks or forces them to potentially cross the president. That Congress is now entering the pivotal weeks before the Sept. 30 deadline to avoid a government shutdown could further diminish the enthusiasm for another rescissions package. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) was noncommittal this week when asked about Congress signing off on additional funding cuts, pointing instead to the appropriations process as his top priority. 'We'll see what the future holds, but the goal right now is to get into the appropriations process. Let's start marking up bills, trying to get them on the floor,' Thune said. 'So my hope would be that that's the way we deal with a lot of these issues.' Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, also suggested his priorities were shifting as the funding cliff deadline approaches. Asked what appetite his colleagues had for more rescissions packages, Hoeven said it 'depends who you ask.' While they could try to do rescissions and appropriations, 'I want to get the approps process going,' Hoeven said. Even Schmitt, who confirmed that 'additional rescissions are being contemplated,' conceded the Senate is now facing a major scheduling crunch. Democrats are also warning that pursuing more GOP-only rescissions packages could blow up bipartisan government funding talks, with trust between the two parties already eroding in light of Vought's latest comments. Top Senate Appropriations Democrat Patty Murray (Wash.), during an Appropriations Committee meeting after Vought's comments, called the GOP's multi-part rescissions push a 'dangerous new precedent.' 'Bipartisanship does not end with any one line being crossed,' she said. 'It erodes over time, bit by bit. And frankly I am alarmed by how quickly that erosion is happening.' At the same time, GOP leaders may have no choice but to plow ahead, especially in the House. Speaker Mike Johnson, his top lieutenants and Trump himself have repeatedly promised votes on an elaborate patchwork of more rescissions packages, party-line reconciliation bills and spending cuts in government funding measures. They did so to appease fiscal hawks who balked at the trillions in new spending in the just-enacted Trump megabill. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), a close ally of Trump, said in an interview earlier this month that she's discussed with the president and Republican leadership a 'multi-step plan' to cut spending that includes 'massive rescissions' and more reconciliation bills.
E&E News
03-06-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Bipartisanship alive on energy, environment bills
While President Donald Trump and Republican leaders plow ahead with their GOP-only megabill, taking aim at what they call the 'Green New Scam,' rank-and-file lawmakers are reaching across the aisle and making deals on lower-profile energy and environment legislation. This Congress, the House has passed dozens of bipartisan bills focused on reforming disaster relief; preventing wildfires; bolstering energy-related research; transferring public lands; streamlining permitting processes; and generally improving agencies' work on energy development, water management and natural resources. The bills are not exactly cable news fodder or social media bait amid the day-to-day fights that dominate Capitol Hill discourse. But lawmakers pushing these bills say their unsung proposals can cut through the partisan noise and accomplish significant — if at times obscure — reforms that could make a difference for environmental management, innovation and climate resilience. Advertisement 'It's just common sense,' said Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), who has introduced forestry, wildfire management and energy efficiency bills with Democratic co-sponsors this Congress, including California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla. 'I mean, in a hyperpartisan era, these are the issues that we can look at.'
Axios
25-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Sen. Johnson predicts he has enough Senate allies to hold up the "big, beautiful bill"
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a fiscal hawk who has openly criticized House Republicans' reconciliation bill, predicted Sunday that there are enough in his flock to stop the process "until the president gets serious about spending reduction and reducing the deficit." The big picture: Pushing President Trump 's " big, beautiful bill" through the House was far from a painless process, but the fiscal package now heads to the Senate, where the chamber is likely to make changes. Johnson, who has not held back in his criticism of the bill championed by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), characterized the GOP-only legislation as "the Titanic" at a Politico event earlier this month. Ron Johnson wants deeper cuts, and has repeatedly called for a return to pre-pandemic spending levels. Driving the news: " This is the weekend we honor the service and sacrifice of the finest among us," Ron Johnson said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, referencing the Memorial Day holiday. He added: "I don't think they served in sacrifice to leave our children completely mortgaged." He called for his fellow lawmakers to be "responsible," contending the "first goal of our budget reconciliation process should be to reduce the deficit." As he noted, the legislation — which aims to extend Trump's first-term tax cuts, among other priorities — would do the opposite. The Congressional Budget Office estimates an increase in the deficit of $3.8 trillion for the 2026–2034 period. The other side: House Speaker Johnson, also appearing on CNN Sunday to defend the bill, said such estimates are "dramatically overstated," arguing that the CBO does not do "dynamic scoring" and does not account for the growth he says will be fostered by the bill. Asked about Ron Johnson's contention that the bill "will almost certainly add to our deficits and debt," the Louisiana Republican pointed to the wide range of opinion in his caucus and said, "we're doing the best we can with the vote numbers that we have." Two House Republicans joined Democrats in voting "no" Thursday, while one voted present. Yes, but: Ron Johnson said he agrees with independent deficit projections that show an increase of up to $4 trillion. "You don't defeat the deep state by funding it," he said and added that the process for passing the bill — in order to hit Mike Johnson's Memorial Day goal — has been "rushed." Mike Johnson told CNN's Jake Tapper the House was trying to get the work done on "a very aggressive timetable." What we're watching: Asked how many of his fellow GOP senators he thinks share his concerns and would be willing to make major changes to the bill, Ron Johnson said "we have enough to stop the process." Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) echoed his Senate colleague's criticism, saying on "Fox News Sunday" that the spending cuts included in the House bill "are wimpy and anemic." He continued that he "still would support the bill even with wimpy and anemic cuts if they weren't going to explode the debt." Other senators, like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), have expressed concerns about proposed in the bill.
Axios
22-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
House passes Trump's "big, beautiful bill" after tense GOP talks
The House voted Thursday to pass President Trump's " big, beautiful bill" after weeks of Republican infighting that repeatedly threatened to tank the GOP-only legislation. Why it matters: It's a major step toward getting the hulking fiscal package signed into law, though the Senate is likely to make substantial changes that could be difficult for House GOP hardliners to swallow. The vote was 215-214. Two Republicans — Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio — joined Democrats in voting "no," while Andy Harris of Maryland voted present. The big picture: The bill would extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts and aims to cut $1.5 trillion in federal spending, including through Medicaid work requirements and the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits. It took considerable wrangling by House Republican leadership to get to this point, with members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus threatening to oppose it as recently as Wednesday. State of play: The vote came after a marathon congressional session in which some lawmakers stayed up for days. The House Rules Committee met early Wednesday morning to markup the bill only ending late Wednesday night. House Democrats gummed up the works with several procedural votes, pushing the vote time back to around 6:30 am ET on Thursday.
