Senate Majority Leader John Thune
Senate Republicans are reportedly working to settle a deal with Senate Democrats to reopen the government on Friday with amendments to the continuing resolution that would include three full-year appropriations bills– seemingly set to expire after the next midterm election, where the Democrats seek to take back the Senate majority.
The shutdown became the longest in history on Wednesday after closing its 35th day.
The previous record was set in Trump’s first term at 34 days.
Now, Republicans are trying to bring Democrats to the table and muster the 60 votes needed to end the filibuster with an offer that’s more favorable to their agenda.
However, Trump has repeatedly called on Senate Republicans to end the filibuster and requirement of 60 votes to pass legislation and reopen the government.
Per Politico:
The plan, the people said, is to bring up the House-passed continuing resolution that Democrats have repeatedly rejected and then seek to amend it with a new expiration date very likely in January as well as a negotiated package of three full-year spending bills.
Thune believes the deal will win the support of enough Democrats to advance, though the outcome is not guaranteed, the people said. Finalizing the deal could take days due to procedural hurdles and objections from senators.
In any case, Senate GOP leaders are preparing to keep lawmakers in Washington to try and force a resolution to the record-breaking shutdown. Asked if the chamber will be in through the weekend, Majority Whip John Barrasso said “yes.”
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, held their own lengthy lunch meeting Thursday to figure out their shutdown strategy. Democrats didn’t immediately throw in the towel after the lunch, with several suggesting that discussions within the caucus were ongoing.
Though details are unclear at this time, “Senate Republicans are hoping that moderate Democrats who have been involved in negotiations all week will be enticed by the appropriations bills and a promise to hold a vote on extending health care subsidies,” CBS reports.
Negotiations with Democrats, likely with concessions that the GOP base will be unhappy with, would be totally unnecessary if the Republicans voted to terminate the filibuster. Republicans have full control of the federal government, but they refuse to wield that control.
President Trump on Thursday renewed his calls for Republicans to discontinue the filibuster during an Oval Office press conference, one day after he told GOP Senators to their faces at breakfast to terminate the procedure.
Trump said he wants the filibuster to be terminated so the Senate can pass election integrity laws with voter ID and one day voting, border security, tax cuts, and “so many things,” things that the Democrats will never vote for.
“and they’ll do it too. They’ll immediately do it” if they win the Senate majority, he said. “What the Democrats will do is they’re going to make Puerto Rico a state, they’re going to make DC a state, they’re going to pack the court, they’re going to end up with more electoral votes, they’re going to end up with four senators because of the two states, and they’re going to do this, 100%.”
“So if they’re going to do it, I would do it. I would do it before them,” he added.
WATCH:
Trump: I think it’s time for them to end the filibuster and just put everybody back to work. Vote in voter ID, vote in no mail in voting except for military, far away military and people that are very sick. I’d like to see one day voting. I’d like to see not 65 days of voting from all over the place. I’d like to clean up the elections; the border, we’ve done a great job. We have a great, strong border now. I’d like to see new rules on immigration that can be fair and good.
Rules that you’d never get, rules that they’re never going to get. There’s so many things we could put in, including tax cuts that we could get, and we could do it all ourselves. But to do that, you have to end the filibuster. The filibuster is— and they’ll do it too. They’ll immediately do it. You know, what they’re going to do is, what the Democrats will do is they’re going to make Puerto Rico a state, they’re going to make DC a state, they’re going to pack the court, they’re going to end up with more electoral votes, they’re going to end up with four senators because of the two states, and they’re going to do this, 100%. They would have done it, except Manchin and Sinema got in their way. They would have done it. So if they’re going to do it, I would do it. I would do it before them.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, on Wednesday, Trump hosted Republican Senators for breakfast, where he told them to end the filibuster, reopen the government, and pass laws to fix our country and our elections.
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and a handful of other Senators told reporters they will go against Trump on this, making the 50 votes necessary to terminate the filibuster impossible. “It’s just not happening,” said Thune, who made it clear he’s unwilling to vote to terminate the filibuster.
(VIDEO) Trump: End the Filibuster and Pass Bills to Secure Elections – Thune: “Not Happening”
The post JUST IN: Senate to Meet on Friday Amid Deal to Reopen the Government – Trump Doubles Down on Filibuster Termination Demands, Says the Democrats Would “Immediately do it” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.