U.S. Congress Stalls 12 Spending Bills, Risking Sept. 30 Shutdown Ahead of Midterms
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 17
U.S. Congress Stalls 12 Spending Bills, Risking Sept. 30 Shutdown Ahead of Midterms
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 17
Summary
The Senate appropriations process has largely frozen, leaving Congress far from finishing the 12 annual spending bills before government funding expires at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Sept. 30.
House Republicans have passed 2 bills and aim to move Energy-Water, homeland security and defense next, but Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins has canceled planned markups and blamed Democrats for refusing to cooperate.
That Senate paralysis is feeding talk that the House could leave after its next work period rather than keep advancing bills that may go nowhere, even as Chairman Tom Cole pushes for more floor action before recess.
Election-year incentives are worsening the impasse: both parties want members home to campaign, Democrats see little reason to hand Republicans wins, and last year's 43-day shutdown offers a recent template for another standoff.
A broader Republican package dubbed 'Reconciliation 3.0' could add $350 billion for the military and other priorities, but Trump's push to attach the SAVE America Act to major bills faces Senate procedural barriers.