House and Senate take different paths to avoid shutdown before midterms

Washington — Another deadline to money the authorities is looming this autumn successful Congress, with members caller disconnected a bid of shutdown fights that person near them anxious to debar different costly impasse up of the midterm elections.

But arsenic lawmakers pass astir the coming backing cliff, they person yet to hold connected a way forward. Current backing expires astatine the extremity of the fiscal twelvemonth connected Oct. 1.

Last week, arsenic the House appeared poised to determination connected a stopgap measurement to support the authorities funded, crossed the Capitol successful the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune told CBS News that "we are successful discussions connected that," noting that "we're moving connected solutions to money the government." This week, the 2 chambers appeared to beryllium connected antithetic pages. 

As the House prepared to ballot connected Tuesday connected a measure to support the authorities funded done the midterms, Thune announced that helium intends to bring a abstracted continuing solution to the level earlier the August recess, citing "productive speech connected some sides of the aisle" connected a backing measure.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson had been touting the little chamber's GOP-led plan. House Democratic leaders person pushed backmost against what they said was a premature effort that comes with clip to negociate a bipartisan agreement. 

The divergent strategies illustrated a cardinal disagreement betwixt the 2 chambers that has colored caller legislative fights. Both chambers person constrictive Republican majorities. But the Senate indispensable contend with a 60-vote threshold to beforehand astir legislation, which requires enactment from Democrats, whereas the House tin maneuver measures connected a partisan basis. 

Thune outlined Wednesday that he's asked Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the seat of the Appropriations Committee, to draught a "bipartisan and cleanable continuing resolution" to money the authorities until aft the midterms, adding that helium intends to bring up the measurement for a ballot earlier the enclosure breaks for the August recess. The bulk person said the Appropriations Committee is "hard astatine work" reviewing projected backing adjustments from the Trump medication to "ensure we person a bipartisan merchandise acceptable to determination quickly."

Thune, a South Dakota Republican, has repeatedly spoken astir the antithetic dynamic successful the Senate, and downplayed the 2 chambers' differing approaches connected Wednesday. 

"Everybody's going the aforesaid direction," Thune told CBS News. "It's just, we person a somewhat … antithetic process. We request Democrats implicit here."

The Senate was astatine the halfway of the 43-day shutdown past fall, erstwhile Democrats utilized backing the authorities arsenic leverage to code expiring healthcare taxation credits. Then, aboriginal this year, a partial authorities shutdown lasted much than 70 days erstwhile Democrats sought reforms to the administration's migration enforcement agencies. 

The backing fights person bled into this year's appropriations process, which has been mostly stalled successful the Senate. Republicans person been predicting for months that Democrats volition unopen down the authorities this autumn up of the midterm elections. 

"It was not a bully twelvemonth connected the authorities backing front, with 2 record-breaking authorities shutdowns," Thune said connected the Senate level Wednesday. "But we person an accidental present to illustration a caller path."

The bulk person said he's "encouraged that truthful acold my Democrat colleagues person signaled that they bash not privation to unit different authorities shutdown." He noted that helium looks guardant to bringing up a bipartisan continuing solution successful the coming days, portion urging senators to enactment the authorities to "give the American radical the certainty that they deserve."

Collins said she's "hopeful that we volition beryllium capable to draught a bipartisan CR," telling CBS News that Democrats person been amenable "so far."

With the House acceptable to permission Washington for its five-week August recess aboriginal this week, and the Senate intent connected its ain approach, the backing contented volition each but surely stay unresolved until lawmakers instrumentality successful September. And adding to the process' complications, its destiny has go intertwined with different backing combat successful caller days. 

The House has been pushing to o.k. further backing for the Pentagon, on with a fistful of different priorities, done the fund reconciliation process. That allows the enactment successful powerfulness to o.k. measures with nonstop budgetary consequences without assistance from crossed the aisle. But Thune has been noncommittal astir what would beryllium a 3rd reconciliation bill, and warned Tuesday that the Senate volition "hold that" until they're capable to walk a continuing solution to money the government. 

If the bipartisan way guardant fails, Thune indicated that the Senate could usage that fund solution arsenic a conveyance to money the authorities without the assistance of Democrats.

"I anticipation that's not necessary," Thune said.