Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Wednesday introduced a short-term spending bill that would avert a partial government shutdown at midnight on Friday. The bill which would keep the government open until February 8 – at which time the shutdown showdown could come roaring back. But at least everyone could go home for the holidays.
While the bill seems to have broad support in Congress and President Trump is expected to sign it, there’s still room for failure. Roll Call’s Niels Lesniewski and Jennifer Shutt reported that the legislation was hung up in the Senate Wednesday afternoon over a dispute involving the Land and Water Conservation Fund. And Trump spent the day sending mixed signals, including a tweet claiming that “Mexico is paying (indirectly) for the Wall” and that the U.S. military would build it.
Assuming the dispute in the Senate can be resolved, the bill is expected to receive a vote in both chambers on Thursday, sending it to the president’s desk with a day to spare.
