Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Monday warned of a government shutdown in October over spending on the Iran war.
In a letter to his Senate Democrats on Monday, Mr. Schumer said Republicans were “manufacturing a partisan process” for annual spending talks and “accusing Democrats of wanting a shutdown because we refuse to rubber-stamp the result.”
He criticized his Republican colleagues for attempting this week to advance the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual military policy bill.
Republicans are “refusing to negotiate on the President’s bloated, partisan topline budget request” for defense, Mr. Schumer said.
Congress has a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government for the 2027 fiscal year and avoid a shutdown.
The White House, in its official budget request to Congress, requested $1.5 trillion for defense amid the conflict with Iran.
President Trump has asked Congress to pass a budget reconciliation bill – a partisan legislative vehicle that requires a simple majority in the Senate – to sidestep the typical bipartisan process and provide $350 billion in defense funding.
Pulling this off could be complicated by the death on Saturday of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who chaired the Budget Committee, which crafts reconciliation bills.
Mr. Graham led Republicans in passing a reconciliation bill in June, which provided billions in funding for immigration enforcement agencies after Democrats forced a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
Additionally, Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican who chairs the Senate subcommittee that crafts bipartisan deals on defense spending, is recovering from a fall and has not announced when he will be able to return for votes.
Democrats plan to block the NDAA in the Senate, citing their opposition to the president’s conduct in Iran and the wider push for an increased budget. The bill usually passes with ample bipartisan support.
“It’s essentially an Iran War authorization bill,” Sen. Chris Murphy, Connecticut Democrat, said in a social media post Monday. “I’m voting NO.”
Sen. Brian Schatz, Hawaii Democrat, said, “We haven’t even had an up-or-down vote to authorize this war in the first place. Trump wants a 50% increase at DOD — they expect money without accountability or strategy. I usually vote yes on NDAA, but this is an easy call for me.”
Mr. Schumer concludes his letter with a stern call for Republicans to play ball with Democrats.
“Eleven weeks remain,” wrote Mr. Schumer. “Time enough for Republicans to abandon my-way-or-the-highway budgeting and begin the serious bipartisan negotiations required to fund the government responsibly.”
Mr. Trump’s second term has already had repeated government shutdowns.
The longest-ever government shutdown occurred from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12 over Democrats’ demands to extend health insurance subsidies at COVID-era levels.
Then, from Feb. 14 to April 30, DHS was partially shut down amid Democrats’ demands for restrictions on immigration enforcement.
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