Temporary fix to looming government shutdown on the floor
(The Center Square) – Spending $231 million for the Secret Service, in part to bolster protection of former President Donald Trump, is included in a proposal to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month next week.
With less than one week until the government shut down, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, presented a stopgap spending bill on Sunday that could potentially keep federal agencies funded until after the November election. A vote is expected on Wednesday.
The second attempt on a deal is considered “bare-bones” to avoid extras, particularly coming from colleagues in the U.S. Senate.
This Continuing Resolution bill would allow the government to remain funded and running at the current levels until Dec. 20, leaving all future negotiations until right before the holidays. The first proposal was for six months.
Trump has been the target of two assassination attempts – one in Butler, Pa., at a campaign rally on July 13, and a second on Sunday a week ago as he golfed at his club in Florida.
The bill would give the Secret Service more protection for presidential candidates, contingent on the Secret Service participating in oversight responsibilities and investigations, said Johnson this morning in a press conference.
“While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances,” Johnson wrote in a letter to House Republicans. “As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.”
Johnson explained in the letter that the new, clean, three-month bill is a “bare bones” attempt intended only for necessary extensions to avoid billions in spending or unrelated provisions.
The bipartisan negotiations started not long after Johnson lost the House last week.
The six-month continuing resolution fell short by a vote of 220-202 after 14 Republicans and three Democrats defected across party lines over a controversial decision to tie voter ID provisions in the SAVE Act to the temporary spending plan.
The extended measure caused an even further divide in the political climate surrounding the upcoming November election, which required a new plan from House Republicans.
“Government funding negotiations didn’t have to wait until the last minute,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on posted on social media.
He continued that the agreement would have been reached weeks ago without Johnson and House Republicans listening to Trump’s “partisan demands.”
The bill is expected to have bipartisan support to pass the House without issue.
“Upon our return to Washington, House Democrats will collectively evaluate the spending legislation in its entirety in advance of its consideration on the Floor,” said Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a statement. “Congress is now on a bipartisan path to avoid a government shutdown that would hurt everyday Americans. House Democrats will continue to solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers and deliver real results.”
