GOP senators introduce bill to permanently end government shutdowns

[vlyons]

Whoa! GOP Senators must be getting more than a little nervous now. Will be interesting to see if McConnell allows it to go forward.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-senators-introduce-bill-to-permanently-end-government-shutdowns/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6a&linkId=62260189&fbclid=IwAR2h-rb2HdqMt3wBWO3pxxonfaqRxMN0n2wdSugUTKHc5aE8Ak2I4pBHetE

[dlk]

1. It Would be Ironic if McConnell Allowed a Vote on this Bill and Not a Vote on the Actual Shutdown

Sometimes I wonder if Republicans live in a parallel reality.

[ecstatic]

2. IKR? nt

[at140]

3. I see 3 problems

1. McTurtle can refuse to bring it up for full Senate vote.
2. Rump can veto it.
3. Minority party can be railroaded into unacceptable funding bills without shutdown option.

[tenderfoot]

4. ...

[at140]

5. Cute!!!

[NutmegYankee]

9. For #3, I don't see a way to get railroaded.

It would just continue funding at current levels, which is fairly routine already. What it does is take away to brinkmanship game of holding the budget hostage.

[dsc]

13. for 120 days

then it starts dropping

[NutmegYankee]

14. An agency could accommodate a few percent until an election fixes the situation.

The current shutdown system is broken and has to be replaced.

[allgood33]

6. 3-year budgets is the answer. Make Congress do their jobs.

[msongs]

7. no thanks. congress can do its job year to year with no probs. better than

getting locked into a 2 year old repub budgets with a dems congress and president

[duforsure]

8. Another option

If McConnell refuses to bring it to the floor, republican Senators can tell Mitch bring it to the floor or else they'll switch party, and become Democrats giving the majority to the Democrats, and a new leader that will bring it to the floor. They have the power over Mitch, and should use it now. Its time some republicans reject what trump and others in their party are doing to this country, and allowing trump to use his position as an enemy to the American people , and use his position as a weapon against us all. There's many republicans not happy with their party now with trump, and their chance to reject them is now.

[DeminPennswoods]

12. None of the bill's sponsors are going to become Dems,

but they could trigger a leadership fight within the GOP Senate caucus if they decided to back, say Mitt Romey, for majority leader.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. I doubt they would agree to a newbie

However going through their roster, the 3 most senior GOPers are Grassley, McConnell, and former Dem Shelby (the latter 2 having come into the Senate 4 - 6 years after Grassley) - all 3 having 30+ year Senate careers (although McConnell is the "baby", age wise, of that bunch).

However... although "newer" in the Senate, Roy Blunt has had a long record of leadership positions in the House before moving on to the Senate, so he may be one they would consider (especially since he holds the most vapid of the teabagger views). The other is current Majority Whip John Cornyn.

Just some idle thoughts...

[ananda]

10. McConnell is a Russian/Chinese asset allied with I-1

What do you think he’s going to do?

[DeminPennswoods]

11. Given that CRs are increasingly common, this bill

works for me. The fact is, it's the Rs who have been responsible for federal gov't shutdowns, not Dems. Rs who have been in control of the House since 2010 have not been able to get appropriation bills passed on time either.

[Buckeyeblue]

15. So this bill would end the shutdown, correct?

I agree that Congress should be able to pass a comprehensive budget. But I think this is good idea.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. I just posted about the House version

that Pelosi had referenced last week (but was apparently rolled into an appropriations for general government services).

Pelosi Remarks at Bill Signing for Legislation Guaranteeing Back Pay for Furloughed Federal Employees

January 12, 2019

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats held a bill signing for legislation ensuring back pay for all furloughed federal employees. Below are the Speaker’s remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Good afternoon, everyone. I’m very honored to be here to sign this legislation which is about fairness to our federal workers, our public employees. It should not be necessary. We shouldn’t have a shutdown but since we do, we want to ensure that our public employees, some of them are working without pay, some of them are shut out from working, but all of them will be assured that they’ll be paid not just for this shutdown but for all shutdowns, to remove all doubt.

<...>

https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/11119-2/

The House on Wednesday again endorsed a 1.9 percent average federal employee raise for 2019 and for back pay for employees who have been furloughed during the ongoing partial government shutdown, as part of a new tactic aimed at ending the shutdown.

The vote on the general government bill as a stand-alone measure follows passage last week of a larger appropriations measure—including that bill and five others—with the same provisions. The House has scheduled votes on several of the other unfinished appropriations bills over the next several days.

https://www.fedweek.com/fedweek/house-trying-new-tactic-to-end-partial-shutdown/

I.e., H.R. 264 - https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/264/text

and apparently was what Pelosi's enrollment presser was referencing.