A partial government shutdown is increasingly likely to occur this weekend as Democratic lawmakers push back on funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Approximately 75% of the government remains funded only through this Friday, January 30, including the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services.
Last week, the House passed six appropriations bills to fund the remainder of the federal government through balance of the fiscal year ending in September: Defense, Labor-HHS, Transportation-HUD, Homeland Security, Financial Services, and State-National Security. The package included a standalone vote for DHS funding, which passed 220-207 with seven Democrats supporting it. The appropriations bills were then packaged together and sent to the Senate for consideration. Passage in the Senate would require 60-votes for cloture, meaning at least seven Democrats would need to vote in favor to proceed.
Following the events over the weekend in Minnesota, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that Democrats wouldn’t help advance the combined spending package if it still includes DHS funding. Notably, several Democratic senators who ultimately voted to end the government shutdown in November have already said they will not support the DHS funding package, including Senators Angus King (ME), Jackie Rosen (NV), Catherine Cortez-Masto (NV), and Tim Kaine (VA).
Lawmakers have limited options to advance government funding without the DHS funding under the House-passed package. They could seek to fast-track a version that would omit DHS funding but otherwise pass all other government spending, but it would require all 100 senators to agree to put that to a vote. A more likely route is to advance a new package with the five other appropriations bills but without DHS funding; however, this would then need to go back to the House to be voted on again. House Republican leadership has said they are unlikely to return as they insist they already passed government funding.
The combined package as passed by the House includes a host of government funding priorities from both parties that had been on pace for passage after an unusually productive appropriations process. The DHS portion not only includes the ICE funding being objected to, but also programs with bipartisan support like FEMA. More broadly, the Labor-HHS package includes numerous priorities from both parties, namely an increase of $210 million in discretionary funding for HHS as opposed to the significant public health spending cuts sought by the administration. This funding includes notable increases in Alzheimer’s research that Argentum has supported through the LEAD coalition, including a $100 million increase at the National Institutes of Health, $41.5 million at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and $31.5 million for the Administration for Community Living. It also would extend Medicare coverage of telehealth services for two years.
Timing: The House is out of session until February 2, and the Senate is in session for votes starting tomorrow. The first procedural vote on a funding bill could come as early as Thursday, just one day before the funding deadline. Complicating timing is that Washington, D.C. was severely impacted by a winter storm yesterday that will hamper travel for lawmakers seeking to return to the capital.
Next Steps: The White House and Senate Republicans have started negotiations with Senate Democrats to prevent a government shutdown; however, no agreement has been reached as Democrats are insisting on removing DHS funding from the package at this time. If lawmakers are unable to reach an agreement this week, the majority of the federal government would be forced to shut down beginning on Saturday.