Scoop: Thune eyes standalone
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune is considering bringing full-year appropriations bills ā including one to fund the Pentagon and pay the military ā to the floor for a vote, he told us today.
Why it matters: Bipartisan talks to reopen the government via a short-term spending stopgap bill are frozen, so Thune is contemplating other options.
- Bringing standalone appropriations bills to the floor would be a long and tortuous way to reopen the government, department by department.
- To pass a bundle of multiple appropriations bills ā like the one that passed the Senate earlier this year ā would require unanimous consent.
- But Thune could bring a single appropriation bill to the floor if it has already been passed by the House, like the Defense package.
What he's saying: "We're prepared to do that," Thune told us when asked at what point he would consider bringing committee-passed appropriations bills to the floor.
- But he cautioned: "That takes consent. We got to find out if the Dems are going to let us do anything while the government is shut down."
- "But yeah, I'm ready to call up the Defense approps bill," he said.
Zoom in: The strategy has the backing of Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), who thinks finished appropriations bills "should immediately be brought to the floor."
- "The top priority of everyone is getting the government reopened," Collins said. "If we are stymied, I think we should be proceeding with appropriations laws."
- Collins called for the Senate to designate members for a formal conference for the trio of bills that passed the Senate earlier this year.
The other side: "There's nothing holding him back from doing that," Senate Appropriations Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said of Thune potentially bringing the Defense bill to the floor.
- "That does not change where we are right now in the CR," she added. "We still have to negotiate with the House. The President has to sign it, so it's a long way from anywhere."
- "I prefer that the Republican leader talks to the Democratic leader, and they come up with a decision on how we're going to move forward."
Between the lines: For the troops wondering if they will get paid, there's almost no way a full defense appropriations bill could pass both chambers by Oct. 15. They would likely miss a paycheck.
- The vote would force Democrats to make a difficult decision: Pass a standalone bill to ensure troops get paid ā or preserve their shutdown leverage.
- But GOP leaders would risk losing political leverage, too.
ā Stef Kight and Hans Nichols
