Majority Leader John Thune is stacking a stopgap spending bill through Dec. 11 as the lead item before the Senate leaves town, according to Politico. Behind it: Russia sanctions, a batch of nominees, and Attorney General pick Todd Blanche. Appropriations Chair Susan Collins also wants the funding patch to bar political appointees from controlling grant approvals. That rider could slow the whole process.
Every provision attached to the stopgap eats floor time Thune also needs for nominations and the budget resolution Trump is pushing. The tighter the calendar, the more leverage each item gains. Something will get sacrificed.
Collins said continuing resolution text should land Thursday, with an initial vote expected Monday evening. That vote will signal whether Thune keeps the bill narrow to move fast or accepts a broader fight over executive control. His choice determines whether everything behind it stays on schedule or becomes a hostage.
The packed agenda looks strong on paper and weak in sequence. If Thune cannot clear the stopgap fast, everything behind it becomes leverage instead of business. The Senate will head into recess having proved again that the hardest vote in Washington is often the one to simply buy more time until Dec. 11.
Filed to the Politics desk · Jul 31