Senate GOP and Thune throw curveball in shutdown fight

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.D.) is throwing a curveball into the shutdown fight as he plans to bring a full-year Pentagon spending bill to the floor Thursday, effectively encouraging Democrats to oppose it as part of their push to keep health care at the forefront of the impasse.

Democrats have been almost completely united in their opposition to the GOP’s “clean” government funding bill through November 21. The Senate voted against the continuing resolution passed by the House of Representatives for the ninth time on Wednesday, and another vote on the temporary resolution is expected on Thursday.

But Thursday’s vote on the defense bill represents more of a gamble, and leaders on Wednesday largely said they had not yet decided what to do.

The full-year bill is the result of a bipartisan appropriation process and passed out of committee on a 26-3 vote earlier this year. It will fund military salaries that could be at stake again if the lockdown continues until the end of the month.

At the same time, Democrats want to appear steadfast in their opposition to the Trump administration, and note that they have been given no guarantees about what Republicans can attach to the defense bill once the procedural hurdle is cleared on Thursday.

“It seems like a tough vote,” Thune told The Hill on Wednesday. “Because they’re all saying they want a normal appropriations process, and we’re trying to give them one. I get it, it’s in the middle of a shutdown, and it’s a complicated dynamic here.”

“We need to move the appropriations process in both directions,” Thune said. “If we sit here voting every day and they keep voting to keep the government closed, then we need to try to move the needle on some of the other things we need to get done.”

On top of the Pentagon spending bill, the Senate is also set to consider a measure that would allow lawmakers to meet with the House on a “minibus” of three bills that were given the green light earlier in the year. Thune and Senate Republicans are also looking to tie a number of other spending bills to Pentagon legislation.

Among these projects is a bill funding the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, which will be undertaken in an attempt to win the support of Democrats. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters she hopes to attach a bill funding the departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, along with a separate bill for the departments of Commerce and Justice and the science agencies.

But whether Democrats will play ball is a key question. Several major party leaders demurred when pressed Wednesday on how they handled the vote.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.N.Y.) said Democrats need to know what Republicans will try to attach to the bill before making their decision.

Sen. Patty Murray (Washington), the leader of the Democrats who seized their money, agreed, saying: “We don’t know what they’re going to offer yet.” “Let’s see what they do tomorrow.”

Technically, the Senate will vote on the defense appropriations bill passed by the House, but only as a means. This language is widely expected to be replaced by the Senate version along with other funding bills approved by both sides.

If the bill clears the procedural hurdle, the chamber would then move toward a replacement provision — but it would need approval by the full chamber.

This also remains a jump ball, especially as Democrats continue to grumble about the possibility of the Trump administration taking more steps to restore the money on a partisan basis, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support.

“But the best I can say is that Patty Murray has shown no hint of bipartisanship or any willingness to put up any barriers around what they plan to do,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said. “I think the point we’re at is we haven’t offered anything, so there’s no reason to vote for it yet.”

“What we need is greater agreement on how to move forward with the appropriations process, so it is clear that our priorities are respected,” he added.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D.N.H.), a supporter of earmarks, has recently been in favor of moving full-year provisions, especially since they contain Democratic victories. However, they are sticking to the party line as they wait for the final word on what will be attached.

“I think it’s helpful. My understanding is that there will be other bills that come up, and then if we have a commitment to move forward on appropriations, that helps us,” she said, declining to say whether she would vote “yes” or “no.”

Failure to count the defense bill would also expose Democrats to attacks to block future payments to military members, which are due again within two weeks after the Trump administration announced plans to pay them on Wednesday with $8 billion in unused research and development funds.

In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) indicated on Wednesday that he would not bring the House back to vote on the Pentagon bill for a full year until the government reopens, while also expressing doubt that the measure would pass the Senate anyway.

The Senate bill has some notable differences from the House version, which the House would have to approve. Johnson kept the House of Representatives out of Washington, D.C., throughout the shutdown in an attempt to confuse Senate Democrats.

“I doubt the Democrats will play their same political games and stop this cold turkey,” Johnson said. “I hope I’m surprised by that.”

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans insist that Democrats must support the measure. They were quick to point out Wednesday that the bill was introduced in late July by an overwhelming majority, and that the status quo has to change a bit on how they look at the funding provision now.

“This is a bill that passed committee… by a vote of 26-3,” John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told The Hill. “You don’t think you can put a bill in committee on a 26-3 vote, and Democrats will change their minds?”