Senate takes first steps to avoid a government shutdown
The Senate voted 77 to 19 Monday to end debate on a bill to fund the government through mid-December, taking the first steps toward averting a shutdown when the current funding runs out Wednesday night.
A final vote will occur late Tuesday evening or Wednesday, or earlier if senators can agree to speed up the process. The bill is expected to get significant bipartisan support, at which point it will move to the House for a vote. The administration has said it supports the legislation.
When outgoing House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, he offered an unequivocal "no" when asked if there would be a government shutdown Wednesday evening.
A government shutdown was looking more and more likely as Republicans and Democrats clashed over the issue of funding for Planned Parenthood. After a series of videos were released showing the organization's executives discussing the procurement of fetal body parts for medical research, some members of the GOP vowed to cut off all of Planned Parenthood's federal funding.
Last week, Senate Democrats blocked a bill that would have stripped Planned Parenthood of taxpayer funding, while it also would have allocated money for the rest of the government. When that failed, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky put a so-called "clean" continuing resolution on the calendar that would keep the entire government running (and would also continue funding Planned Parenthood at current levels).
The legislation sets up another fight in Congress in December when the current funding bill would expire. Republican leaders have already talked about using an obscure budget tool called reconciliation to end funding for Planned Parenthood when they write a longer government funding bill. Boehner's departure appears to lessen the chance of a showdown in September.