(NewsNation) — A federal government shutdown, which lawmakers thought they’d avoided with House passage of a spending bill, could still happen thanks to an argument over amendment votes in the Senate.
Senate Republicans want to hold votes on several amendments to the bill. Passing any one amendment would send the bill back to the House, but its members have begun a two-week recess.
“Taking a handful of votes on proposals that are related to this massive spending bill is not too much to ask,” said South Dakota Republican Senator John Thune on X late Friday.
“Make no mistake, if the government shuts down, it will be because of one thing and one thing only: Democrat leaders protecting vulnerable incumbents from taking hard votes.”
If there’s no resolution by midnight ET, the government will technically run out of money. But federal budget officials say a brief funding disruption won’t have a big impact.
Lawmakers expect the dispute to be resolved by Sunday.
