We have a look at the place Congress is in negotiating its manner out of a authorities shutdown that’s in its fourth day, with no answer in sight.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
It’s day 4 of the shutdown of the U.S. authorities. Since Tuesday, the U.S. Senate has taken up the identical votes to fund the federal government briefly with persevering with resolutions. They nonetheless haven’t got the votes. Is there an settlement even on the distant horizon? We’re joined now by NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt. Barbara, thanks for being with us.
BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE: Hey, thanks.
SIMON: The Senate yesterday failed as soon as extra to advance competing plans to increase federal funding and finish the shutdown. How are these plans totally different once more?
SPRUNT: Effectively, one is a GOP plan that has already handed the Home. It will fund the federal government by means of November 21. After which there is a Democratic counterproposal as properly. That may fund the federal government by means of October, and it contains an extension of well being care tax credit that had been boosted up throughout the pandemic. These are on observe to run out on the finish of the yr. Now, Republicans have mentioned they’re going to negotiate on that time, however solely after the federal government is funded. And even then, Senate Majority Chief John Thune has mentioned it might not be a easy course of.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JOHN THUNE: We won’t make commitments or guarantees on the COVID subsidies as a result of that is not one thing that we will assure that there are the votes there to do.
SIMON: There have been a number of Democrats who did assist the Republican proposal this week. Has there been any extra motion, or are the numbers tightening?
SPRUNT: No, they don’t seem to be. It has been the identical as that first vote, the place we noticed two Democratic senators and one impartial becoming a member of Republicans. In truth, there’s been so little motion on any form of negotiation between the 2 events that the Senate is not even anticipated to remain over the weekend and do extra votes. Here is Thune yesterday when requested about the potential of weekend work.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
THUNE: Hopefully, over the weekend, they’re going to have an opportunity to consider it, and perhaps a few of these conversations begin to end in one thing to the place we will begin shifting some votes and really get this factor handed.
SPRUNT: The deadlock is basically this – as a result of the Senate wants Democrats to achieve that 60-vote threshold to cross this sort of invoice, Democrats, who, after all, have little or no energy because the get together within the minority, say that demanding that there be some form of negotiations between the 2 events is acceptable. Unsurprisingly, Republicans don’t share that view. They are saying Democrats are holding the American individuals hostage by way of this shutdown.
SIMON: In fact, within the meantime, the White Home is continuing with plans to chop packages and spending, typically it appears in areas with a number of Democratic voters. What’s the argument they make right here?
SPRUNT: Effectively, that is very a lot in step with the administration’s thesis in relation to its function in slicing packages and authorities staff. Gadgets on the chopping block embrace some transportation initiatives in New York, the house state of each the Home and Senate Democratic leaders. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt informed our colleague, Steve Inskeep, yesterday that the administration views that as Minority Chief Chuck Schumer’s fault.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
KAROLINE LEAVITT: They cannot present as much as work proper now. In order that challenge is presently briefly halted due to Chuck Schumer’s shutdown. So Chuck Schumer did that to himself. He did that to his constituents in New York.
SIMON: And the way do Democrats reply?
SPRUNT: Effectively, Democrats have referred to as this an intimidation tactic. They’ve blasted a plan from the White Home’s price range arm to fireside federal staff as an alternative of briefly furloughing them, which is normally what occurs in a shutdown. Unbiased Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont mentioned he thinks that plan will backfire.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BERNIE SANDERS: And the concept you’ve got a president who says, hey, your state voted towards me. We’ll lower funding for you. That’s not solely unlawful, not solely outrageous. It’s unconstitutional.
SPRUNT: So Democrats, like Sanders, insist these cuts are unlawful, however it’s an open query proper now. There are a number of lively lawsuits difficult the administration’s cuts to congressionally authorized spending.
SIMON: NPR’s Barbara Sprunt. Thanks a lot for all of your reporting.
SPRUNT: Thanks, Scott.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional info.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts might fluctuate. Transcript textual content could also be revised to appropriate errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org could also be edited after its authentic broadcast or publication. The authoritative document of NPR’s programming is the audio document.
