The Senate advanced its solution to avert a government shutdown on Saturday, capping off several months of hand-wringing that, if given the chance, Senate Democrats would use a shutdown to score political points in November.
\nSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus relented, and stayed true to the bargain they struck with Republicans to keep the government funded well past Election Night and into early December.
\nThe about-face, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital, appeared to be a political calculation on Schumer and Democrats\u2019 part.
\nSCHUMER CLAIMS VICTORY AS SENATE MOVES TO AVERT SHUTDOWN; GOP SAYS HE GOT PLAYED<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they didn\u2019t want to spend the next, well \u2026 three months defending attacks from Republicans about wanting to shut the government down,\u201d Thune said.
\n\u201cI mean, I think there was a narrative starting to build out there based on what\u2019s happened the last 12 months, which I think, they probably \u2014 you know, these guys are political animals,\u201d Thune continued. \u201cI\u2019m assuming those guys are polling all the time.\u201d
\nDEMOCRATS BLINK AS SCHUMER HELPS GOP CLEAR KEY SHUTDOWN HURDLE<\/p>\n
And Schumer claimed victory over the process, arguing that Democrats \u201cfor months\u201d wanted to keep the government open, and had scored key concessions from the Trump administration on an ensuing rule change to federal grants in the bipartisan continuing resolution (CR).
\n\u201cWe want to reach across the aisle and hammer out a budget that delivers for the American people,\u201d Schumer said on the Senate floor. \u201cToday, [this] CR gives us the breathing room necessary to work out a budget that helps make life more affordable to working families and reigns in Trump\u2019s rampant chaos, his rampant corruption.\u201d
\nHowever, Republicans have been messaging for months that congressional Democrats wouldn\u2019t bat an eye at shutting the government down again. In the Senate, efforts have been made to inflict pain on lawmakers should another shutdown happen, like agreeing to forego their paychecks in the event of a closure.
\nSENATE TAKES MAJOR FIRST STEP TO PREVENT FUTURE SHUTDOWNS WITH PAINFUL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAY<\/p>\n
That follows two government shutdowns that etched their way into the record books at 43 and 76 days, respectively, but the political winds didn\u2019t appear to be in Democrats\u2019 favor this go-round, the top Senate Republican said.
\n\u201cAnd I think they see an issue set that works for them going into the fall election, and I think they view a government shutdown or the prospect of not funding the government as creating uncertainty that perhaps didn\u2019t help their chances,\u201d Thune said.
\nWhile the shutdown fight is over in the Senate, for now, it will continue on in the House.
\nAnd if passed, it will give lawmakers breathing room to continue stalled negotiations to fund the government through the appropriations process. However, by then, Congress will be in the post-midterm election lame duck period. And dependent on the swing of the political pendulum, there may not be much appetite to reach a broader funding deal.
\n\u201cUs having a budget done on December 11? It takes on whiffs of frozen hell, donkeys flying,\u201d Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s probably not gonna happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
This post appeared first on https:\/\/www.foxnews.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"