As lawmakers stare down the possibility of a government shutdown at the end of the month, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) have reportedly held private talks about extending government funding into November or December. The reports come as House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) said he is hoping to pitch Speaker Johnson on a continuing resolution funding the government until the end of November that could include full-year appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Agriculture and the Legislative Branch. Senate Appropriations Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) has expressed support for moving those three bills alongside a short-term funding patch as lawmakers continue to negotiate the remaining appropriations bills.
The developments follow Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Tuesday circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter to Democratic Senators warning about the growing chance of a government shutdown, writing that “Republicans are once again threatening to go-at-it-alone” by refusing to negotiate with Democrats on a stopgap spending measure. In particular, Schumer said the Trump Administration is provoking a standoff over government funding by moving forward with a “pocket rescission” to claw back nearly $5 billion in federal funding for the State Department and the dismantled USAID. Schumer said the “pocket rescission” shows that “Republicans are prioritizing chaos over governing, partisanship over partnership, and their own power over the American people.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on Tuesday criticized President Trump’s “pocket rescission,” saying that “Congress alone bears the constitutional responsibility for funding our government, and any effort to claw back resources outside of the appropriations process undermines that responsibility.”