GOP leaders are facing the greatest challenge yet in trying to prevent a government shutdown at the end of this week when funding will run out if lawmakers do not secure more money, The Hill reports.
However, negotiations on Capitol Hill have been more difficult by President Donald Trump, who last week rejected a bipartisan immigration deal and referred to African nations as “shithole countries.”
“I am worried. Anything that makes it more difficult to sit down and come to a deal is not helpful when we have such a short amount of time,” said Representative Tom Cole, chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee.
The House will consider a temporary spending bill this week, before the January 19 deadline, even though Republican leaders have not yet decided whether it will include money for disaster aid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Congressional leaders scramble to reach a bipartisan agreement on boosting spending caps and providing a permanent legal solution for beneficiaries of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Congress has to raise spending caps to avoid automatic ones which are to take effect by the end of this month under sequestration. If a budget caps deal is not reached this week, the CR would have to temporarily suspend sequestration in order to avoid automatic budget cuts, which the GOP is sure to oppose.
For now, a deal on spending caps is not a strong possibility, with some Republicans accusing Democrats of delaying it until they have their demands on DACA met. Democrats are under immense pressure to oppose the CR without a DACA deal in place — and it’s unclear whether one will materialize by Friday’s deadline.
They have also insisted on equal increases for defense and nondefense spending programs, which is a non-starter for Republicans. Nonetheless, Speaker Paul Ryan expressed confidence that a deal on budget caps will soon be reached.
“I don’t think there will be [a shutdown] because I think we’re making progress on what we call the caps deal. But I think the Democrats — and I understand why, it’s about the only leverage they have — they want to see a path for DACA,” he noted.
But if the CR includes additional items such as disaster aid or long-term CHIP funding, it could make it more difficult for Democrats to vote against the measure and allow a government shutdown.
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