Senate Republicans push for progress on next funding package this week

18 hours ago 6

Washington — Senate Republicans are aiming to determination guardant connected a caller bundle of backing bills earlier leaving municipality for the holidays, with conscionable weeks to spell earlier the adjacent deadline to debar different authorities shutdown.

Congress approved an archetypal tranche of backing authorities successful November arsenic the longest shutdown successful past came to an end. But advancement has been stalled connected further measures since then. When lawmakers instrumentality successful the caller year, they volition person conscionable 4 weeks to money the government, oregon hazard a partial shutdown successful February.

After approving 3 of the 12 yearly appropriations bills successful November, Senate GOP leaders and appropriators were anxious to get moving connected the adjacent batch of bills. The caller package, dubbed a "minibus," is made up of 5 bills. It would see backing done September for the Department of Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; Commerce, Justice and Science; and Interior and Environment. But issues remain.

"We're inactive moving it," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Tuesday morning. "Not determination yet."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters extracurricular his bureau astatine the U.S. Capitol connected Dec. 3, 2025, successful Washington, D.C.

The minibus package, a smaller mentation of monolithic "omnibus" authorities backing legislation, comes arsenic Republicans person sought to instrumentality to passing idiosyncratic spending bills done regular order, alternatively than done a ample end-of-year package. This year, leaders successful Congress besides opted not to enforce a pre-holiday deadline to money the government, which often raises unit connected lawmakers to hold to a woody earlier leaving municipality for the wintertime recess.

Still, Senate GOP leaders person sought to marque advancement connected the backing bundle earlier the enclosure breaks aboriginal this week.

Asked whether enactment connected the minibus this week is realistic, Thune told reporters "we'll see." Leaders person been moving to resoluteness disagreements with a fistful of Senate Republicans who person enactment "holds" connected the package, including Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and John Kennedy of Louisiana. Holds let idiosyncratic senators to awesome their objections to authorities successful its existent form.

"My anticipation is astatine slightest that these, each of these holds that presently beryllium connected the measure connected our broadside astatine least, are starting to beryllium dealt with successful a mode that hopefully volition get them lifted," Thune said. "But we're not 100% determination yet."

Kennedy told reporters aft Senate Republicans gathered for luncheon Tuesday that his and Johnson's holds are the 2 that remain. Johnson has advocated for the inclusion of his measurement to wage national employees who enactment during authorities shutdowns. He told CBS News that helium is "not funny successful amendment votes — I privation a result, and we should beryllium capable to get a result."

"One happening I've learned astir here, erstwhile enactment wants to get thing done, they get it done," Johnson added.

GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the apical appropriator successful the Senate, told CBS News that the existent objections are "soft holds that I deliberation we tin enactment out."

"I'm hopeful that we'll beryllium connected the bundle tomorrow," Collins said.

Sen. Susan Collins is seen successful the Senate subway connected Dec. 9, 2025.

Should advancement stall connected the minibus this week, the Senate volition look a choky timeline to money the remaining agencies and authorities programs upon their instrumentality adjacent month. The woody to extremity the authorities shutdown earlier this twelvemonth extended backing until Jan. 30.

The archetypal batch of backing bills included backing for subject operation and the Department of Veterans Affairs; the Department of Agriculture and FDA; and operations for the legislative branch. The bundle funded the applicable agencies and programs done September 2026, meaning the agencies would inactive beryllium funded adjacent if lawmakers neglect to money different areas of the authorities by the extremity of January.

Thune, asked whether he's acrophobic astir a shutdown successful the caller year, told reporters that the menace is "always retired there."

"I deliberation that's wherefore it's truly important that we bash everything we tin to consolidate enactment for getting connected the bills and trying to, you know, transact the backing of the authorities successful a mode that would forestall that from happening," helium added.

Part of the calculus for Democrats volition apt beryllium the aforesaid arsenic successful the past shutdown, which became the longest successful past astatine 43 days. The contented astatine the halfway of that combat was wellness care, peculiarly the expiration of the enhanced Affordable Care Act taxation credits. But that contented remains unresolved, adjacent aft the 2 parties enactment guardant dueling wellness attraction proposals for votes past week. On wellness care, Thune said helium thinks there's a "potential pathway successful January."

Amid the effort to walk different bundle of backing measures, Thune said helium and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke concisely Tuesday greeting and determination are "conversations going each the time."

"We're moving with the Dems, the hotlines person been moving connected some sides, and trying to fig retired however bash we, you know, money the authorities successful a mode that I deliberation reflects the views of this United States Senate and not a continuing resolution," Thune said. "And I deliberation some sides spot the worth successful doing that. So I'm inactive hopeful that determination volition beryllium a convergence astir getting connected the bills and moving them successful a mode that would forestall america having to deal, astatine the extremity of January, with different shutdown."