September 20, 2016 | No Comments
Campaign finance, trucking safety and the internet domain system are among the grab-bag of issues keeping the Senate from a final deal to stave off a government shutdown at the end of this month.
The biggest hurdles have largely been resolved: senators on both sides of the aisle support a bill to maintain current government spending through Dec. 9. And $1.1 billion to combat the Zika virus will be attached, without any language that would block Planned Parenthood’s partner clinic in Puerto Rico from accessing the federal grants — a key demand from Democrats.
“We want a clean CR, a clean Zika bill, period,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Senate Democrat. “We’ll save the debate on the riders for the lame-duck session.”
But the Senate has postponed a vote to move to the stopgap spending bill twice in the last two days as a final deal has yet to materialize. The next vote is scheduled for 5:15 pm Tuesday, but another delay is possible.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters the parties were “close” to finalizing an agreement Tuesday afternoon, but noted he would want senators to have some time to consider it before moving forward. And senior Republicans said the Senate was certain to stay in session next week, ensuring that the annual slog over must-pass government spending would — like in previous years — go down to the wire.
Democrats pin the blame on the GOP for the delay. “We should have no vexatious, poison pill riders,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said. “We are not going to have a CR loaded with riders. One is too many, and that’s what they’re trying to do.”
The Nevada Democrat took particular umbrage at language he said was being sought by McConnell to maintain a prohibition on the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring public companies to disclose political spending. That provision has been included in previous spending bills, but Reid said he will fight it.
“We’re not going to have this bill [be] a pin-cushion for McConnell’s desire to have nothing, nothing reported dealing with campaign spending,” Reid said.
Lawmakers also are clashing over the Obama administration’s plan to relinquish the U.S. government’s authority over the Internet domain system to an international body on Oct. 1. Republicans led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune of South Dakota are pushing to continue a prohibition on the hand-over, which is sharply opposed by the administration.
“It’s just trying to figure out how to structure it, how to do it, how to make it effective,” Thune said of the internet domain issue, known as ICANN. “I think in some form, I think that issue has to be addressed.”
A GOP-backed push to block Transportation Department rules regarding how long truckers must rest in between drives is one of the other final issues to be determined. As of late Tuesday afternoon, however, it appeared as if the trucking issue was close to being resolved, according to one source familiar with the negotiations.
Congressional negotiators were also continuing to discuss offsets for Zika funding. And it looked increasingly likely that the continuing resolution will not include money to address the lead contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, or to respond to the devastating flooding in Louisiana.
“The Democrats are insisting upon Flint, and we’ve got members who are interested in some assistance for flooding in Louisiana,” Thune said. “Maybe it ends up that neither gets addressed — I don’t know.”
Thune also suggested an administration effort to restore the Export-Import Bank’s full financing authority was falling short. “I know that the Dems are very intent on changing that quorum threshold, but even if we could pass it through the Senate – and I don’t know we can – that makes a very heavy lift in the House.”
Jennifer Scholtes and Adam Behsudi contributed to this story.