GOP divisions emerge over end-date for funding bill to end shutdown

A scrap is emerging among Republicans on Capitol Hill over how long a stopgap spending bill should last as part of a deal to end a record-setting government shutdown.

Republicans have been clamoring for Democrats to strike a deal to reopen the government for weeks, but an intraparty brouhaha has been developing in the background. There is widespread agreement that the Nov. 21 end date of the House-passed bill won’t leave lawmakers enough time to work out funding for the rest of the year, but top negotiators are at odds over what the length of the bill should be.

The question, specifically, is whether the measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), should last until before Christmas — as Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) is clamoring for — or into January, the preference of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Maine) and conservatives in both chambers.

“That discussion is ongoing. There’s a big argument to be made for January, and there’s a big argument to be made for December 19,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), an appropriator and a top ally of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). 

At the heart of the dispute is the unwillingness of conservatives to be jammed with a massive Christmas omnibus spending bill.

Collins, on the other hand, is attempting to avoid a worst case scenario for appropriators: a full-year CR that would continue on at Biden-era spending levels and make her committee less relevant in the process. It would be the second full-year CR in a row Congress has passed and would mean that the government would operate until September of 2026 at spending levels set under former President Biden in March 2024.

The tensions were clear during the Senate GOP’s weekly policy luncheon on Tuesday at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), during which a number of appropriators spoke out in support of a December end-date, including Sens. John Hoevan (R-N.D.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). 

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) were among the pro-January crowd who made their pitch to the conference. 

“We had a big discussion about it over lunch. … I don’t know how we’re going to end up,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), saying that he understands the White House is “agnostic” about the date. “There are good arguments on both sides.” 

The meeting became contentious at one point, as Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) — a key player in talks with Democrats toward finding a deal to reopen the government — complained about her lack of speaking time given her proximity to those discussions. She argued that more time was needed to talk through the state of play and talk about the end-date, noting that she received minimal time last week at a Senate GOP Steering Committee lunch before the clock ran out. 

Scott, the Steering Committee chairman, took this as a personal affront, a source said.

“Rick took some offense to that, a little more than he needed to. I think he was feeling a little beaten up,” one Senate GOP member who was present told The Hill. “That resulted in him getting a little bit hot.” 

Thune indicated to reporters earlier in the week that he prefers a January date, but is remaining non-committal. 

Earlier on Tuesday, Johnson swiftly shot down talk about a December date, indicating that it’s not something his conference is willing to swallow. 

“I’m not a fan of extending it to December. Let’s be frank: a lot of people around here have PTSD about Christmas omnibus spending bills. We don’t want to do that,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol. “It gets too close, and we don’t want to have that risk.” 

“We’re not doing that,” he said, adding that a stopgap measure lasting into January “makes sense,” though it remains to be determined when in January it would fall. “There’s some discussion about it. We’ll see where it lands.”

One idea some appropriators are kicking around is a December funding deadline, but not one that bumps against Christmas as has become standard. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) proposed a potential Dec. 12 deadline, having agreed that an omnibus is not something he has any appetite for. That idea was well-received with some in the conference who are supportive of January.

“I don’t think anybody’s crazy about Dec. 19,” Kennedy said, adding that Rounds’ suggestion is “more likely.”

Negotiations on a bipartisan deal to end the shutdown have centered on passing a short-term CR with a minibus attached that funds Military Construction-VA, Legislative Branch and Agriculture, with the intent of giving Democrats a vote to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. 

Talks progressed between the bipartisan group of members over the weekend and into the early part of the week, with lawmakers continuing on as they attempt to nail down the off-ramp, though it may take more time. 

The hourglass is running short on some acute fronts, though. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that flight delays and cancellations may become widespread next week and that airspace could be closed at airports if air traffic controllers miss a second full paycheck come Friday. 

“If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos,” Duffy said at a press conference. 

Senate Democrats on Tuesday held an unusually lengthy weekly luncheon that lasted for more than 2.5 hours as they sorted through scenarios and remained divided on how to proceed. 

“We had a lot to discuss. … People had a lot to say,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), an appropriator who is also a key player in the talks to end the shutdown. “Everybody’s still talking.”