Schumer: Negotiators ‘very close’ to deal to avoid shutdown

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told colleagues Wednesday that congressional negotiators are “very close” to reaching a deal to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the week, announcing that they “continue to make very good progress on an agreement.”

Schumer reiterated his arguments made at a meeting with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) at the White House Tuesday warning of the fallout of a partial or full government shutdown.

“A shutdown is a loser for the American people. In a shutdown, costs go up, safety would go down, and the American people would pay the price,” he said.

“I’m hopeful that the four leaders can reach this agreement very soon; we can not only avoid a shutdown on Friday but get closer to finishing the appropriations process altogether,” he added.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said Tuesday that disagreements over policy riders have been the biggest obstacle to reaching a deal.

“The biggest obstacle right now has been far-right Republican poison pills that were never truly on the table. They were always going to be nonstarters,” she said.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, said Monday that the negotiations over policy riders had been elevated to the leadership level.

Funding for military construction, the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development are set to expire March 1. Other federal departments, including the Pentagon and departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, will see their appropriations end March 8.

Johnson is now floating a proposal to postpone those deadlines to March 8 and March 22.

Senate Republican Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said Wednesday that the funding deadlines could be pushed back by a week and two weeks, respectively, but expressed frustration over congressional leaders repeatedly punting on big decisions.

“We’ll see. I’m not one who’s in favor of just keeping punting the ball down the road,” he said. “We know what the decisions are. They just got to be made. We got to move forward.

“The first tranche of bills have been pretty carefully vetted,” he added. “I think there’s a path to getting that first tranche done. The second tranche is obviously more complicated and may need more time.”