Senate passes spending bill to avert shutdown hours before deadline
Source: The Hill
The Senate on Wednesday passed a short-term funding bill just hours before the deadline to prevent a government shutdown. Senators voted 84 to 10 to keep the government funded at current levels through Dec. 11, setting up another funding fight after the November elections and right before the holidays. The funding bill, passed by the House earlier this month, now heads to President Trumps desk, where he is expected to sign it before midnight to keep the government running.
In addition to extending government funding, the bill adds $8 billion in nutrition assistance programs; allows for the farm aid distributed through the Commodity Credit Corporation but with measures sought by Democrats to prohibit payments to fossil fuel refiners and importers; and expands an expiring program providing low-income children with meals to include child care centers impacted by pandemic-related closures.
The last-minute passage of the legislation comes after the Senate punted the bill last week as a burgeoning fight over the Supreme Court has diminished day-to-day cooperation in the chamber. Republicans had hoped to pass the continuing resolution (CR), which continues funding at fiscal 2020 levels, last week, but argue Democrats wanted to keep them off the campaign trail in the final stretch of the election. Right now I think they're just trying to throw a wrench into anything we do. Obviously it's retribution for the decision on the court and they just want to be difficult. I don't know why, it doesn't make sense to me either to bring everybody back, said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.).
To avoid a shutdown on Dec. 12, lawmakers and the Trump administration will need to pass either another CR or a dozen fiscal 2021 funding bills. Getting a deal on all 12 appropriations bills would be a herculean task given the deep disagreements between the two parties and the short timeframe. The outcome of the November elections will also play a role: If Democrats win back the White House and the Senate majority they could try to pass another CR into early 2021, when they would have more leverage.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/518978-senate-passes-spending-bill-to-avert-shutdown-hours-before-deadline
I don't like posting stuff from either "The Hill" or "Politico" but The Hill seems to have been the only one sortof doing updated reporting on this while the other media are still blinded by the blizzard of bullshit from last night's debate.
Hopefully it will get signed so there is no lapse. I know there are a number of feds and fed contractors who post on DU (along with us retired feds) so it's important how this sort of thing is handled while in the middle of a pandemic when they can easily declare "everything essential" and force people to work with no guarantee of a paycheck vs doing a furlough and ignore that there is no FY2021 funding.
Even if by miracle of miracles we do win the WH and perhaps the Senate, then I guarantee that the lame duckers will force something along the line of either another shutdown just to be nasty and/or do some hostage-taking to force a full year CR for all of 2021, with current funding levels (which has been done a few times in the past to disallow the winners from setting the new year's funding levels).
In your last paragraph, do you really consider it a miracle of miracles if we win the WH and the Senate ?.
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)because as much as the party has repeated "we only need 4 seats", they have conveniently ignored that we ALSO need to keep Doug Jones in place in AL PLUS get the 4 seats, and that is definitely not guaranteed.
I remember years ago here in PA when John Heinz (R) died in that helicopter crash and the state law at the time was to have an appointee fill out the term and then they had the option to run again for the full term. And since we happened to have a (D) governor in place at the time (Bob Casey, Sr.), he appointed Harris Wofford (who had worked in JFK's administration) to fill that slot (which ended up for 4 of the 6 year-long term). But when it came time to actually run for re-election to the full term, Wofford lost to the lunatic frothy Rick Santorum, so we lost our one (at the time) (D) Senator and were back to 2 Republicans again (Santorum and Specter). We were finally able to get rid of Santorum through Casey's son Bob Casey, Jr. (who is still in the seat).
So we really have to be mindful of our odds.
Polybius
(15,238 posts)Odds are only 50-50 that we hold onto that too.
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)there's too much hopes and prayers for getting rid of both Graham and McConnell (which would be wonderful but doubtful).
I think we have a good shot at AZ, CO, and ME and the others (including IA & NC) are going to be a slog.
maxrandb
(15,188 posts)No matter what last minute Retrumplican bullshit they pull out of their asses.
Never in my lifetime have I seen such enthusiasm... not only in the Democratic Party, but in Americans.
The majority of the American people have had ENOUGH of Donnie Dipshit, and they are going to vote in droves to send him packing.
Americans have had ENOUGH!!
But, it's more than just Donnie Dipshit. There is a burning desire to punish the Retrumplican Party for what they've foisted on America .
We need to keep our heads down and keep charging through to the finish line.
We may not be able to keep Doug Jones, but
Biden's margin in MI will keep that seat in the Dem column.
McSally in Arizona is dead.
Gardner in Colorado is dead.
Collins in Maine is dead.
Erntz in Iowa is dead.
Tillis in North Carolina is dead.
Daines in Montana is flippable.
I think we pickup at least 1, if not both Georgia Senate seats.
Graham in South Carolina is a reach, but it's reachable.
Again, Americans don't only want to see Donnie Shit for Brains humiliated, they know that the best way to punish Retrumplicans is to castrate their power.
I see the Dems picking up 9-10 Senate seats, AND 10-15 additional House seats.
If we stay positive and determined through election day, this election is shaping up to be a Retrumplican bloodbath.
It's my hope that bloodbath lasts for several generations.
The Retrumplican Party deserves to die a messy death for putting this asspickle in the White House.
The party that is responsible for attempting to destroy our democracy is going to be sent pink slips this November.
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)you have a Cleveland Browns helmet on.
(sorry I couldn't resist )
maxrandb
(15,188 posts)mathematically eliminated from the playoffs before October!
This year is our year, but we do say that every year.
I've described being a Cleveland Browns fan as being like watching Titanic every Sunday, and rooting for the ship.
When we finally do win the championship, there's going to be such an explosion of joy and relief in Cleveland it may trigger a confligration that threatens the entire world.
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)who recently retired and who is originally from Cuyahoga county (but living here in Philly), texts me daily, and she has always been a dedicated Browns fan, through thick and thin. She seems optimistic this year.
Meanwhile, most teams seem to be doing better than the Iggles at the moment.
honest.abe
(8,556 posts)imo.
reggaehead
(269 posts)So we need a net gain of 3. + the VP
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)and all the begathon emails that I get do not bet on the VP for breaking a tie. They are aiming for "4" (which assumes Doug Jones can hang onto his seat), so that we get 51.
I do believe that with 50 + a VP, we would take over the Majority Leader position and Committee Chairs however.
Hugin
(32,778 posts)I remember all too well Nov 4, 2014. The day the GrOPpers in violation of every statistical test known to science, won every single leaner and toss-up Senate contest. Eleven of them.
And, that's not the only General Election where the statistically implausible has happened. Only the most pronounced.
It's also the day my Mom died. I remember driving several hundred miles alternately screaming and crying to be with my Dad and family.
So, yeah, now I'm pretty hardened against those cheating mother f****king Republicans of any stripe. I will NEVER believe, trust, or accept any Republican, anything.
Yet, they keep calling me, texting me, and ringing my goddamned doorbell without a mask on trying to pick my pocket.
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)with every little "hopeful" snuffed out. It's literally like we then got transported into Trek's "Mirror Universe".
I do think the juggernaut is turning though because it's their turn in the hot seat. However since we operate and strategize differently compared to them, it's hard to know in advance, the outcome.
We saw that happen in 2018, where there were some near-implausible seats that flipped, with the expectations of our maybe getting a "25-seat" pickup in the House, that eventually resulted in something like a resounding 40+ seats instead (although it didn't move the Senate needle our way).
Hugin
(32,778 posts)It was bad earlier, but, I deeply believe the real crimes didn't kick in until after 2008.
It was a whole different Hell after that.
Now we have an inadequate would-be dictator porcine blob posing as a President. Who knows nothing about a free and fair election, because, he's never actually won anything in his life.
maxrandb
(15,188 posts)The most craven, partisan use of redistricting in the history of our country.
We won those 40+ seats in the House, despite the T-Bagging of the 2010 Census data into a Retrumplican favored Congressional map that was designed to ensure them minority rule for a generation!
The 2018 Senate map was extremely unfavorable to Democrats. This year it's the Retrumplicans that are defending more seats.
This year is an opportunity to return Retrumplicans to the margins of power where they belong.
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)AND thankfully here in PA, with a (D) governor and a (D) State Supreme Court (that had only happened recently), we were able, after 8 years of hell, to get rid of the congressional gerrymandering once and for all. Doing that took PA's congressional delegation from 13 (R) - 5 (D) to 9 (R) - 9 (D).
We had previously been host to this atrocity, one of the most notorious gerrymandering jobs ever - PA-7.
It was all thrown out and completely renumbered, so that area is now "compact and contiguous" (a state Constitution requirement), incorporated into areas that are now PA-4, 5 & 6.
honest.abe
(8,556 posts)4 + VP Harris gives us 51.
Wuddles440
(1,098 posts)who received my vote. I thought he was decent, thoughtful, reasonable, considerate, and respected all constituents regardless of political affiliation (unlike the contemporary fanatical, cultist republicans). He would never be accepted as a (R) today. In fact, he would probably be considered a "socialist" by their current standards for purity.
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)means that he would have become a total non sequitur to the GOP!
I don't even recognize my home state anymore. It seems to have taken a dive after the 2010 election and redistricting, and notably, with the birth of the teabaggers.
And what is even more bizarre is that some of the most virulent RW loonery that helped to execute that stuff, came right out of PA - e.g., Newt Gingrich (who was born and raised here before his mother re-married someone who was in the military and he then became an Army brat, his family hitting the road with each redeployment). Orrin Hatch is from PA, FUCK RON PAUL and his EVIL SPAWN RAND®, were BOTH from PA, and on and on.
Wuddles440
(1,098 posts)disheartening and disturbing is how wingy and tRumpian Western PA has become! It seems like PGH proper is the only Dem bastion that remains and Allegheny County is barely hanging on. Thank God for the Philly metro area.
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)along with many low-powered AM stations that are across the state that were bought up by RW broadcasters, and where they play a couple sets of syndicated talk radio LOONS like (Michael) Savage Weiner, and Hannity, and Laura Ingraham, etc .
honest.abe
(8,556 posts)Then assuming Joe wins, then VP Harris is the 51st vote also assuming we win Michigan, which I think we will.
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)4 seats = 51 (assuming Doug Jones keeps his seat). If Jones loses, than it would be 50 -50 and without the Presidency, the GOP would still control the Senate. But with a win by us, the addition of 4 seats but a Jones loss, then we would have that tie-breaker of Harris.
honest.abe
(8,556 posts)So flipping 4 seats seems reasonable. I think these are the four we should be able to flip:
-- Kelly (AZ)
-- Hickenlooper (CO)
-- Cunningham (NC)
-- Gideon (ME)
So with VP Harris we then have 51 votes.
This is assuming we lose AL/Jones.
We also have a decent chance to flip IA, MT, & GA... and possibly SC... wouldn't that be wonderful!
BumRushDaShow
(127,300 posts)I remember years ago, hoping and hoping that Harvey Gantt could do it, but alas. There are some states that are still in the "finicky" stage like NC (which Obama amazingly won in 2008) and IA (which Obama also won in 2008).
I know a lot of people (including me) are itching to get the pig-castrator out in IA (not on your main list although really being targeted) but we shall see. I never thought I'd see the lunatic Steve King primaried out of office either, where he apparently represented the furthest extreme that people in IA were willing to go until they decided to back it back a notch.