Senate squabbling sparks shutdown threat
By Jordain Carney - 12/10/20 04:56 PM EST
The threat of a brief government shutdown is growing as the annual defense bill and a stopgap funding measure hit snags that could delay them into the weekend or next week.
Senate leadership had hoped to pass both the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and a one-week continuing resolution on Thursday.
Instead, multiple senators are delaying the bills, meaning the Senate might fail to pass the stopgap measure before Friday night's deadline, raising the prospect of a government shutdown.
“It’s got to get done by tomorrow night at midnight ... or a temporary shutdown,†said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican.
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, predicted the government funding bill would get a vote, but "if you don't get a vote on it, you're going to shut the government down."
"I don't believe anybody rationally wants to shut the government down. If they do they need to be talked to," Shelby said.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/529725-senate-squabbling-sparks-shutdown-threat
