Washington [US], March 13: US bipartisan senators remain at odds over a spending bill for the next six months, putting the government at risk of shutting down on March 15.
The Hill newspaper on March 13 quoted US Democratic senators saying they would not vote in favor of the spending bill for the next 6 months that would increase defense spending and reduce other programs.
Democrats are demanding that the House vote first on a temporary 30-day spending bill, giving bipartisan negotiators more time to reach an agreement on a $1.7 trillion, six-month spending bill.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his party's senators will not vote to pass the House-passed bill, at least for now.
"The Republicans chose the partisan route, drafting their resolution without any input from congressional Democrats. For that reason, the Republicans do not have enough votes in the Senate to trigger a vote on the House resolution," he said.
Failure to pass a spending bill will cause the US government to shut down on March 15. Earlier on March 11, the House of Representatives passed a six-month spending bill, which is also the remaining time of the current fiscal year.
Most Republicans supported the bill and Democrats opposed it. However, one Republican voted against it, Thomas Massie, and one Democrat voted in favor, Jared Golden.
The bill then moves to the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. However, in addition to Republican support, the bill will need the support of at least eight Democrats.
On March 9, President Donald Trump called on all Republican lawmakers to vote in favor, adding that "there must be no dissent."
If the spending bill is passed until the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025, the US government will have the conditions to implement many of Mr. Trump's policy priorities, including extending the tax cut policy.
It's unclear what Republicans will do next. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has not ruled out passing a stopgap spending bill.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
