US govt shutdown likely to drag into next week as Senate gridlock deepens

The government shutdown is likely to continue into next week as Senate Democrats are expected to block the GOP’s short-term funding bill again on Friday.

The Senate is not expected to remain in session over the weekend.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday it’s “unlikely” the chamber will stay in town to continue voting.

“They’ll have a fourth chance tomorrow to vote to keep — to open up the government. And if that fails, then they can have the weekend to think about it, we’ll come back, we’ll vote again on Monday,” CNN quoted Thune as saying.

GOP Sen. Mike Rounds, who took part in informal bipartisan talks on the Senate floor Wednesday, said that Friday’s vote on advancing the GOP-backed funding bill will be “crucial,” warning that “things go south real quick” if the government isn’t reopened before the weekend.

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“I think, really, tomorrow’s vote is a crucial vote. Our Democrat colleagues have got to open this up again,” CNN quoted Rounds as saying.

So far, however, most Democrats remain firmly opposed to the Republican proposal, and it’s unclear whether any more will break ranks to support it in Friday’s vote.

Emphasising the urgency of the situation, Rounds said, “All we’re trying to do is to get them to understand how serious it is in terms of the timing doesn’t work in their favour. And the sooner we get past this shutdown, as soon as they allow government to operate again, we can get back to all of the other negotiations that we normally do in regular order.”

“And that continues to be the message: stop this shutdown, and let’s get back to work,” he added.

Addressing concerns that Republicans could face political consequences if federal workers are permanently laid off during the shutdown, Rounds pushed back, arguing that Democrats stand to lose more.

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“I think it’s gonna bite them harder than it does us, because the place where, you know, the OMB has looked in the past has been in places that are not consistent with President Trump’s policies,” he told reporters.

“And there’s a whole lot of things out there that the Democrats care about that are not consistent with the President’s policies, and those are the first things at risk,” he added. “Now, what does that do for actually getting any kind of an agreement on anything after the shutdown is complete? It does not help their cause.”

Meanwhile, White House on Thursday said that the number of federal workers who could face termination amid the ongoing government shutdown is “likely going to be in the thousands.”

“Look, it’s likely going to be in the thousands,” CNN quoted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as telling reporters when asked about potential job losses.

“And that’s something that the Office of Management and Budget and the entire team at the White House here, again, is unfortunately having to work on today,” she added.

Earlier Thursday, President Donald Trump said he was meeting with OMB Director Russell Vought “to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies” will be cut and whether those cuts will be “temporary or permanent.”

When pressed about which agencies might be targeted, Leavitt responded, “Those conversations are taking place today. I won’t prejudge them.”

She added, “We’re looking at agencies that don’t align with the president’s values” and “that we feel are a waste of the taxpayer dollar.”

Asked during an earlier Fox News interview whether Trump’s threats of cuts were just a negotiating tactic, Leavitt said: “Oh, it’s very real.”

With inputs from agencies