The Senate adjourned Thursday night without resolving the fate of a House-passed funding bill, extending the drama about a possible government shutdown until the last possible day.
Government funding will expire after 11:59 p.m. on Friday and Senate leaders will only have 13 hours to negotiate a solution after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSessions: 'We should be like Canada' in how we take in immigrants NSA spying program overcomes key Senate hurdle Overnight Finance: Lawmakers see shutdown odds rising | Trump calls for looser rules for bank loans | Consumer bureau moves to revise payday lending rule | Trump warns China on trade deficit MORE (R-Ky.) adjourned the Senate without a deciding vote.
Democrats say they have the votes to block debate on the four-week government spending measure, which would extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years and address other priorities.
Democrats are objecting to the measure because it does not address the fate of illegal immigrants who came to the country as children and now face deportation because President Trump
Donald John TrumpDems flip Wisconsin state Senate seat Sessions: 'We should be like Canada' in how we take in immigrants GOP rep: 'Sheet metal and garbage' everywhere in Haiti MORE rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in September.
Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer
Charles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerDemocrats will need to explain if they shut government down over illegal immigration White House: Trump remarks didn't derail shutdown talks Schumer defends Durbin after GOP senator questions account of Trump meeting MORE (D-N.Y.) called on his colleagues to hold a crucial procedural vote at 10 p.m. on Thursday so Democrats could quickly kill the House-passed measure and begin a new negotiation.
But McConnell declined to allow quick action and pushed to consider the matter only hours before government funding expires, seeking to put more pressure on Democrats to vote to advance the measure.
A number of vulnerable Senate Democrats facing tough reelections this year in states won by Trump have said they don’t want the government to shut down.
If they vote against the four-week House-passed spending stopgap, there will be very little time to come up with an alternative bill to keep federal agencies open.
The spending stopgap needs 60 votes to overcome a Senate filibuster.