Conservatives could force weeklong government shutdown over Biden vaccine mandate
By Alexander Bolton - 12/01/21 12:16 PM EST
Senate conservatives could force the government to shut down for as long as a week to protest President Biden’s vaccine mandate for large employers.
If conservatives led by Senate Republican Steering Committee Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah) refuse to yield back procedural time on the floor, it could take as long as nine days to approve a stopgap spending measure that would keep the government funded into late January or February.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters on Wednesday that talks to fund the government are “making good progress” but warned that a small group of Senate GOP conservatives could block the stop-gap by throwing up procedural hurdles.
“We’re making good progress on the CR. I hope a small group of Republicans don’t choose obstruction and try to shut down the government,” he said. “We need to come together and keep the government open.”
Senate conservatives led by Lee are discussing using their leverage over the Senate schedule to demand that Democrats defund Biden’s vaccine mandate on large employers.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/583805-conservatives-could-force-weeklong-government-shutdown-over-vaccine-mandate
