While efforts are underway to open government offices, significant work remains in the Senate before the unprecedented government shutdown can come to an end.
A successful vote on Sunday night separated eight Senate Democrats from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his team, marking a crucial advancement in tackling the shutdown issue.
However, with only a few votes remaining and potential procedural challenges ahead, the Senate’s efforts to push the policy through to the House could face delays. If all 100 senators agree to expedite the process, implementation could potentially happen as soon as Monday night.
The bipartisan agreement could face several days of stagnation in the Senate if not handled promptly.
Senate Minority Leader John Thune expressed optimism about completing the process by Monday night, depending on Democratic cooperation.
“There’s certainly some opposition from the left, but as long as we have the votes, we can move forward,” he said. “The main goal is to get the government reopened as soon as possible.”
Schumer, while refraining from indicating whether he would hinder any Democratic push, assigned blame for the ongoing shutdown, now in its 41st day, to President Trump and the Republican Party.
Democrats had wanted assurances regarding expiring Obamacare subsidies before agreeing to a vote aimed at reopening the government. Yet, the compromise reached among bipartisan negotiators merely reinforced a prior agreement by Senate Majority Leader Thune to hold a vote once the shutdown concluded.
Amid uncertainties about a cohesive strategy among Senate Democrats to obstruct the bill, Sen. Ruben Gallego noted that he hadn’t heard any discussions about opposition in their recent caucus meeting.
“We’re just processing the information we’ve received and will make decisions later,” he said.
In a related sentiment, Sen. Bernie Sanders showed visible frustration about the deal’s outcome but seems to have set aside his opposition for the moment.
Concerns remain regarding potential rifts within the Republican Party, particularly from Sen. Rand Paul. He is dissatisfied with new language in spending packages that could negatively impact Kentucky’s cannabis industry, indicating a clash with fellow Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell earlier this year.
A spokesperson for Paul confirmed his commitment to reopening the government swiftly but added that he opposes provisions in federal funding that unjustly target the cannabis sector, saying they are unrelated to budgetary concerns.
Despite his reservations, Paul clarified he wouldn’t be obstructing the bill and even suggested he had proposed an amendment to revoke some of the contentious provisions.
“Let me clarify: I am not delaying this bill,” he stated.
