Schumer: Deal ‘impossible’ with riders

An agreement to avert a government shutdown is near “impossible”
unless Republicans drop policy riders from a funding bill, leading Senate
Democrats said Thursday.

“Unless they back off those riders it’s going to be
impossible, pretty much, to prevent a shutdown,” said Sen. Charles Schumer
(D-N.Y.), the party’s messaging chief, following a caucus meeting.

Democrats throughout Thursday have characterized the riders
to strip federal funds for Planned Parenthood and parts of the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) as the key sticking point in negotiations on a spending
measure to fund government the rest of the fiscal year.

{mosads}The government would shut down after midnight Friday barring
action by Congress.

Schumer and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) both
said Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had offered standalone votes on the riders in the Senate, only to be
rebuffed by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

“Harry Reid offered that to Boehner,” Durbin said. “We’re
going to make this offer, and we have.”

Republicans have denied that the riders are the main
sticking point, as well as Democratic claims that a basic agreement on
spending had been reached.

“Maybe a promise could be made to let all those riders come
up for a vote separately,” said Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). “I think there’s
a willingness in this caucus to have that be offered.”

House Republicans who insist on including those riders in
the current spending fight likely realize that the most controversial
provisions, such as the Planned Parenthood and EPA measures, would likely fail
in the Senate. That chamber’s rules would require 60 votes to surpass
procedural obstacles.

Democrats are mindful of that.

“They know their riders can’t pass the Senate,” Schumer
said.