Hoeven delivers Washington’s warning of ‘the spirit of party’

Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) on Monday delivered the annual reading of George Washington’s Farewell Address as the Senate returned from a week-long Presidents’ Day recess.

The speech, which warns against “the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally,” comes as a battle over how to fund the Department of Homeland Security has split senators along party lines.

{mosads}Washington warned during his 1796 address that the spirit is “inseparable from our nature.”

“It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy,” he said. “… It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”

Despite Washington’s warning, party division will likely be in full effect during a fourth Senate vote to fund DHS.

That vote, scheduled for Monday at 5:30 p.m., is expected to fail.

Lawmakers remain at a stalemate over how to fund the department. Republicans seek to deny funding for Obama’s executive actions on immigration. Senate Democrats, however, want a “clean” funding bill, and Republicans don’t have the votes to overcome a filibuster.

Lawmakers have until Feb. 27 to reach an agreement on how to fund the department and avoid a shutdown.