Thread: Live Updates – Schumer Amnesty Shutdown: Washington on Edge as Cliff Approaches

Live Updates – Schumer Amnesty Shutdown: Washington on Edge as Cliff Approaches


Washington, D.C., is on edge this Friday as Senate Democrats barrel the United States of America toward a government shutdown at midnight.

The House of Representatives, on a bipartisan basis, passed a bill that keeps the government open with 230 votes–and now its fate rests in the hands of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Senate Democratic conference, who would be solely responsible for a government shutdown if it happens. The Senate overwhelmingly on Thursday evening voted for a motion to proceed onto the bill, but now the funding measure needs 60 Senators to vote for it to eventually pass. Since only 47 Republicans are definitely yea votes, that means Republicans need at least 13 Senate Democrats to vote to fund the government.



The Democrats are pushing for this shutdown because they are hellbent on getting amnesty for a significant population of illegal aliens who were recipients of the unlawful Barack Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive amnesty program. The White House and congressional Republicans have been more than willing to offer a deal and proposal to handle this problem, but the Democrats have been unwilling to give up chain migration, the visa lottery, and funding for President Trump’s planned border wall.
Breitbart News will bring live updates here as the country barrels over the shutdown cliff.



UPDATE 12:05 P.M.
Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is blasting the politicians in Washington for their failures here.

.@SenOrrinHatch: "This is the greatest country in the world, but we do have some really stupid people representing it from time to time." pic.twitter.com/HcAQI6VKuS
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 19, 2018

UPDATE 12:03 P.M.
On the Senate floor moments ago, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that Senate Democrats would “own” any shutdown “craziness” that happens as a result of their unwillingness to vote for a bipartisan bill that contains nothing they oppose.


UPDATE 12:00 P.M.
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) demonstrate their true allegiances with this made-for-MSNBC television moment:

.@DickDurbin just called @LindseyGrahamSC on his cell while Graham was being interviewed live on @MSNBC by @GarrettHaake
— Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) January 19, 2018

When Dick Durbin calls in the middle of your interview….
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) January 19, 2018

Meanwhile, Graham is bashing White House aide Stephen Miller–and undercutting President Trump and the Republican Party on this matter.

Just interviews @LindseyGrahamSC – says up to POTUS to decide what he wants in an immigration deal & stick with it. He won’t vote for 30 day CR. Dinged @TomCottonAR as “Steve King of the Senate.” Stay tuned to @MSNBC
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) January 19, 2018

“The Stephen Miller approach to immigration has no viability.”
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) January 19, 2018

UPDATE 11:56 A.M.
CNN is reporting, citing a government official, that President Trump has canceled his planned trip to Florida this weekend as a government shutdown is looming. Meanwhile, CNN also reports, members of the House of Representatives are being told to stay in Washington for the time being rather than leave as planned for the weekend scheduled recess.


UPDATE 11:51 A.M.
Our senior White House correspondent for Breitbart News Charlie Spiering files this update from Mulvaney’s and Short’s White House briefing room appearance:

“OMB is preparing for what we’re calling a Schumer Shutdown,” OMB Director Mick Mulvaney told reporters at the White House. “It still surprises me and I’ve been through some of these before, that the Democrats in the Senate are opposing a bill that they don’t oppose.”

Mulvaney ridiculed reporters during a briefing for suggesting that Republicans would be held accountable for a government shutdown just because they controlled all three branches of the federal government.

“I have to laugh when people say that … you know any as well as anybody it takes 60 votes in the senate to pass appropriations bill. You know that,” he said.
Mulvaney said that members of the military, the border patrol, wildfire fighters, post office, TSA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the national parks would still go to work, but that they would not be paid, if the government did shut down.

He also said that President Donald Trump would continue to work to prevent a shutdown.
“There’s no way you can lay this at the feet of the President of the United States; he is actively working to make a deal,” he said.

UPDATE 11:48 A.M.
Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader, is desperately spinning away as her party jeopardizes its midterm election chances with a Schumer Shutdown. She is now claiming that Republicans only want to head to Davos:

Pelosi says House is adjourning to go to Davos. pic.twitter.com/e5R5kgFfNN
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 19, 2018

But last night she accused everyone who voted for the bill of eating dog feces:

NASTY NANCY: Pelosi Compares GOP Debt Deal with EATING DOG FECES
https://t.co/E8zuKqgS7z
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) January 18, 2018

Wordsmithing. https://t.co/SJOmRCLGRY
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 19, 2018

Interestingly, Pelosi–by accusing those who support the House-passed Continuing Resolution that would keep the government open of eating canine fecal matter–is attacking six of her own House Democrats who voted for the legislation.


The six Democrats who joined most Republicans in supporting the bill that passed the House with 230 votes are now under attack by Pelosi:

Updated figure. 6 Hse Dems votes yes on interim spending bill. Dems didn't put up any yeas on the board until the GOPers hit 220. Dem yeas: Costa Carbajal Gonzalez Peterson Gottheimer Cuellar
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 19, 2018

So, Schumer and his Senate Democrat conference face an interesting choice: Stand with bipartisan legislation that passed the House to keep the government open, and their constituents, or stand with special interests in Washington against the voters of their own states.


UPDATE 11:41 A.M.
President Trump is calling out Senate Democrats–particularly Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)–for their hypocrisy on this matter.

“Shutting down the government is a very serious thing. People die, accidents happen. I don’t know how I would vote right now on a CR, OK?”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif)https://t.co/7xP3CBnv5j
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018

UPDATE 11:40 A.M.
OMB Director Mick Mulvaney and White House official Marc Short addressed the media from the White House briefing room.

OMB Director Mick Mulvaney:

"The president is actively working right now to try to prevent a shutdown. I will contend to you that is dramatically different from what President Obama was doing it 2013…It is absolutely my belief that President Obama wanted a shutdown in 2013." pic.twitter.com/Euvxsx85RN
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) January 19, 2018

"There's no reason you have to deal with DACA this week," Mick Mulvaney says https://t.co/lCJsliOyLR pic.twitter.com/FHe0iTCTXx
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 19, 2018

Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney:
"We don't want this. We do not want a shutdown, but if Mr. Schumer insists on it he is in a position to force this on the American people." pic.twitter.com/z8JkPhaydi
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) January 19, 2018

In his comments to the press, particularly in an exchange with CNN’s Jim Acosta, Mulvaney made it very clear that Schumer and Senate Democrats have the votes to prevent a government shutdown from happening. If the Senate Democrats vote for the House-passed bill, which contains nothing they oppose, they will be able to prevent Schumer’s shutdown from happening.




http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...ff-approaches/

UPDATE 1:01 P.M.

Everything is on the line right now as Trump moves forward on this meeting with Schumer.

Am told that the meeting with the president is supposed to be just @realDonaldTrump and @SenSchumer — a one-on-one between the two of them.
— Michael D. Shear (@shearm) January 19, 2018

If that holds, such a meeting is likely to cause conservatives to pull their hair out, worrying about what @realDonaldTrump might agree to at this very high-stakes moment for both parties.
— Michael D. Shear (@shearm) January 19, 2018

Pictures show that @SenSchumer is already in the Oval Office with @realDonaldTrump. (with Marc Short, the president's legislative director, there too.) The balance of this day will be shaped by what happens in the next hour or so.
— Michael D. Shear (@shearm) January 19, 2018

One big question: Will @realDonaldTrump have Stephen Miller, his hard-line immigration / domestic policy adviser, and his chief of staff, John Kelly, in the Oval with @SenSchumer? They usually bolster POTUS's hard-line tendencies.
— Michael D. Shear (@shearm) January 19, 2018

Also — with there be more "tough" language in the Oval today? If so, that could derail any deal that might otherwise emerge.
— Michael D. Shear (@shearm) January 19, 2018

UPDATE 12:57 P.M.

President Trump is risking a lot with this Schumer meeting, and House Republicans are very worried they will “get hosed” per a report from Politico’s Jake Sherman.

There is very serious concern rippling through the House Republican Conference that they are about to get hosed by the president and Chuck Schumer.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 19, 2018

UPDATE 12:54 P.M.

CNN’s John King reports that Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, is not invited to Schumer’s White House meeting with President Trump that is about to begin.

UPDATE 12:53 P.M.

Back in 2013, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) called senators who voted to shut down the government “dysfunctional deadbeats.”

Now, she faces a choice as the Senate prepares voting for cloture on the House-passed spending bill, whether she wants to vote for what she considers is a “dysfunctional deadbeat” position as she faces reelection this year.


UPDATE 12:49 P.M.

Schumer has arrived at the White House. It remains to be seen what deal is being discussed if any or if congressional Republicans will join Schumer and Trump in these negotiations.

JUST IN: Schumer has arrived at the White House for talks with President Trump.
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) January 19, 2018

UPDATE 12:43 P.M.

Schumer is on his way to the White House, per media reports:

the Schumer/Trump confab is imminent. meaning, it will happen like now
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 19, 2018

BREAKING: Chuck Schumer headed to White House to talk shutdown, @kasie reports
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) January 19, 2018

News – Trump reached out to Schumer and invited him to WH to try to figure out a deal on spending to avert shutdown, per source briefed
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 19, 2018

BREAKING: AP source: Trump phones Senate Dem leader Schumer, invites him to White House to try to reach deal to avert shutdown.
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 19, 2018

UPDATE 12:42 P.M.

An update from House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office, as the Speaker appeared on Fox News to discuss the Schumer Shutdown that looms.

A key quote as highlighted by the Speaker’s office is as follows:

“This is absolutely needless, completely unnecessary, and wholly because of Senate Democrats trying to shut down the government, holding the entire government hostage for a completely unrelated issue that doesn’t have a deadline right now. . . . If we have a government shutdown, that the Democrats insist on, troops don’t get paid, they’re holding our military hostage. Children’s health insurance dries up, seven states run out of money for their children’s health insurance. The Medical Device Tax kicks in so anybody getting a medical procedure that involves a device will pay a whole lot more for that procedure. Those are things that will happen if the Senate Democrats continue to insist on shutting down the government. . . .Senator Schumer said this very tactic, this very strategy a few years ago, was governmental chaos. Nancy Pelosi called it legislative arson. This is exactly what they’re doing and it is completely unnecessary to hold the government hostage for something unrelated. And by way, those DACA negotiations are underway right now. There are good faith bipartisan negotiations underway on DACA right now that have been occurring for some time and that deadline is not until March. So what they’re simply trying to do is hold all of government hostage, our troops, kids’ health insurance, for a completely unrelated issue. I think it’s shameful.”

UPDATE 12:35 P.M.

More from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) interview on MSNBC. He takes the radical leftist worldview, far outside the mainstream and more in line with the Democratic Party, that Stephen Miller is somehow to blame for the Democrats’ intransigence on DACA.
It’s worth noting that President Trump and House GOP leaders, as well as several GOP senators including Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Perdue (R-GA), support the position that in exchange for a legislative amnesty for DACA recipients there must be an end to chain migration altogether, an end to the visa lottery, and funding for the border wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. That principle is encapsulated in legislation offered by House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and House Homeland Security Committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX). That bill is supported by House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who intend to hold a House vote on the bill and whip support for it. So, in other words, Graham’s extremist position on immigration is so more in line with the Democrats pushing for a government shutdown if they don’t get their way on amnesty for illegal aliens, even though there is absolutely nothing in the House-passed bipartisan spending bill–which 6 Democrats and 224 Republicans backed–that Democrats oppose.


UPDATE 12:29 P.M.

The Department of Homeland Security said that if a government shutdown happens thanks to Schumer’s and his Senate Democrats’ intransigence, the government is prepared to protect the homeland.
Most of DHS personnel–about 90 percent–are considered “essential staff” in the event of a shutdown.


UPDATE 12:25 P.M.

Chuck Schumer is facing serious criticism for previously, back in 2013, saying that it would be “governmental chaos” for doing exactly what he is doing now.

Schumer, in a 2013 interview with George Stephanopoulos, said this:

Speaker [John] Boehner comes in and he says basically… it’s sort of like this: Someone goes into your house, takes your wife and children hostage and then says ‘Let’s negotiate over the price of your house.’

You know we could do the same thing on immigration. We believe strongly in immigration reform. We could say ‘We’re shutting down the government. We’re not going to raise the debt ceiling until you pass immigration reform.’ It would be governmental chaos.

But, as our own John Binder notes in a piece just published on Breitbart News, that is exactly what Schumer is doing right now:

The plan to shut down the federal government unless illegal aliens are given amnesty, though, is now being championed by Schumer and Democrats, who say they want to see the nearly 800,000 illegal aliens shielded from deportation by the President Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program given amnesty to remain permanently in the U.S. in exchange for their support on a government funding bill.
In an expansive amnesty plan that the Republican establishment and Democrats want to see passed, some 3.5 million illegal aliens who are enrolled and eligible for DACA would be granted amnesty, as well as their parents who brought them to the U.S. illegally.

Read the whole piece from Binder here.

Democrat Claire McCaskill

McCaskill In 2013: Senators Voting To Shut Down Government Are "Dysfunctional Deadbeats"

‘It Would Be Governmental Chaos:’ Schumer in 2013 Mocked Shutting Down Govt Over Amnesty for Illegal Aliens




John Binder

January 19, 2018


During an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Schumer mocked the idea that Democrats would ever try to shut down the federal government unless millions of illegal aliens were given amnesty.

SCHUMER: Speaker [John] Boehner comes in and he says basically… it’s sort of like this: Someone goes into your house, takes your wife and children hostage and then says ‘Let’s negotiate over the price of your house.’


You know we could do the same thing on immigration. We believe strongly in immigration reform. We could say ‘We’re shutting down the government. We’re not going to raise the debt ceiling until you pass immigration reform.’ It would be governmental chaos. [Emphasis added]

The plan to shut down the federal government unless illegal aliens are given amnesty, though, is now being championed by Schumer and Democrats, who say they want to see the nearly 800,000 illegal aliens shielded from deportation by the President Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program given amnesty to remain permanently in the U.S. in exchange for their support on a government funding bill.
In an expansive amnesty plan that the Republican establishment and Democrats want to see passed, some 3.5 million illegal aliens who are enrolled and eligible for DACA would be granted amnesty, as well as their parents who brought them to the U.S. illegally.


Additionally, the plan by Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) would:

• Make no cuts to legal immigration levels, whereby more than one million legal immigrants enter the U.S. every year
• Transfers the 50,000 visas through the Diversity Visa Lottery into two other visa categories
• Does not fund the estimated $18 billion U.S.-Mexico border wall
• Does not mandate E-Verify to bar employers from hiring illegal aliens over American workers

As Breitbart News reported, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen have slammed the amnesty plan as “totally unjustifiable,” while populist conservative Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said the amnesty should be thrown “straight into the trash can,” as Breitbart News reported.




http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...llegal-aliens/

They are all so disgusting and the damage they do to this country.

I just hope each and every one of them get voted out.

UPDATE 1:52 P.M.


A White House aide tells Breitbart News senior White House correspondent Charlie Spiering that conservatives should not worry about Trump’s meeting with Schumer one bit. “Conservatives should be reassured that the president is a strong negotiator and committed to conservative principles,” the White House aide tells Spiering.


UPDATE 1:50 P.M.


Trump and Schumer are not in the room together alone. Both of their chiefs of staff are there with them, per Politico’s Eliana Johnson:


Oval Office meeting is with Trump, Schumer, and both of their chiefs. Nobody else.


— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) January 19, 2018


UPDATE 1:48 P.M.


Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is under fire in Wisconsin as a vote looms in the Senate for cloture on the government funding bill. If she votes to shut down the government, expect Republicans to seize the opportunity in a state that’s been trending rightward in recent years. Kevin Nicholson, the leading GOP senatorial candidate in Wisconsin, is already hammering Baldwin for even considering voting for a shutdown.


.@tammybaldwin needs to keep her past promises to put the people of Wisconsin first, keep the federal government open, pay our military, and extend CHIP. #shutdowntammy #wisen https://t.co/abYV7qwJ2O


— Kevin Nicholson (@KevinMNicholson) January 19, 2018


.@TammyBaldwin in 2015: “ Federal workers, veterans … do their job and we have a responsibility to do ours by keeping the government open for business.” #wisen #shutdowntammy https://t.co/ClAWRUJ1ixhttps://t.co/DD7mkW8lxp


— Kevin Nicholson (@KevinMNicholson) January 19, 2018


UPDATE 1:30 P.M.


Schumer’s shutdown ploy is already severely hurting members of his Senate Democratic conference. McCaskill, for instance, is coming under serious fire in Missouri as her likely general election opponent Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley fires away at her refusal to back government funding measures.


With a #SchumerShutdown looming, Missouri is wondering if @clairecmc will get involved – or watch from the sidelines and comment later? She shouldn’t be putting our military, CHIP funding at risk. #mosen


— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 19, 2018


UPDATE 1:22 P.M.


President Trump’s campaign, as Trump meets with Schumer, is still bashing Schumer for the looming shutdown.


Trump's campaign just sent this out — just as Trump is about to meet with Schumer to try to cut a deal to avoid a shutdown pic.twitter.com/bXq8Q1JUS4


— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) January 19, 2018


Also, interesting flashback from ABC’s Jon Karl when Schumer appeared on The Apprentice to praise Trump in 2006.


That time @chuckschumer appeared on the Apprentice and said of @realDonaldTrump "Even when he was much younger you knew that he was gonna go places.” (h/t @chrisdonovan). https://t.co/fjHHfnc8Hi


— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) January 19, 2018


UPDATE 1:18 P.M.


If Trump agrees to something that does not have support from Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), in this meeting with Schumer, he will be betraying a promise he made at the beginning of this process.


Freedom Caucus Chair Mark Meadows told reporters President Trump committed to him that he wouldn't back an immigration bill unless he & Sen Tom Cotton backed it.
Asked about Schumer saying Cotton can't be involved: "I don’t really care what Chuck Schumer says."


— Deirdre Walsh (@deirdrewalshcnn) January 19, 2018


Meadows notes that Schumer’s opinion is essentially irrelevant.


UPDATE 1:16 P.M.


Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) again demonstrates his allegiance is to the Democrats as he encourages Trump to cave in the Schumer meeting:


Glad to see @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and Sen. Schumer sitting down and talking. This is welcome news to American people, military, DACA recipients.


Let’s see if two New Yorkers can agree on a deal good for USA.


I believe – in America – anything is still possible.


— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 19, 2018


UPDATE 1:15 P.M.


Reports are emerging that Trump and Schumer spoke via phone earlier, when Trump invited Schumer to the White House.


Trump/Schumer chat was positive and friendly, per two people briefed. Between 10 and 11 AM. Trump said come on over.


— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) January 19, 2018


There are worries Trump will cave in the meeting with Schumer.


No Pelosi, no McConnell, no Ryan, no Cotton, no Durbin. Just Trump and Schumer. New York talk.


— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) January 19, 2018


“Senator, are you worried there are no members of your party in the room with Trump and Senator Schumer right now?” asks stone cold @igorbobic


“Yes,” replies Sen. Blunt


— Matt Laslo (@MattLaslo) January 19, 2018


Ryan and McConnell are not going to the meeting with Trump and Schumer.


— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) January 19, 2018

From Jason Donner's (Fox News) twitter feed:

Sen Blumenthal (D-CT) says there was virtually a deal between Schumer & the president and the president walked away from it after he talked to his hard right. Blumenthal says Schumer will talk on the Senate floor about what the deal was.

7:09 PM - 19 Jan 2018

UPDATE

Senate Democrats Kill Bill to Keep Government Open Past Midnight

UPDATE 11:21 P.M.
Less than an hour before a government shutdown, there seems to be another effort afoot to avoid said shutdown.



But, these types of reports have been emerging all day and haven’t panned out. More importantly, the Democrats seem to have overplayed their hands–and boxed themselves into a strategic miscalculation:

UPDATE 10:57 P.M.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), another Schumer lackey who voted for a government shutdown tonight, is under fire back in Wisconsin already now too as her likely GOP challenger businessman Kevin Nicholson–the leading candidate in Wisconsin primaries–is hammering away at her calling her “Shutdown Tammy” working for the “Schumer Shutdown.”

UPDATE 10:56 P.M.
Again, technically, the vote is still open on the Senate floor but expected to fail:

UPDATE 10:53 P.M.
It begins. The Schumer Shutdown’s negative effects on members of his Democratic conference are already becoming apparent, as Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) is ripping Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)–who he is running against in Pennsylvania this year–for voting for a government shutdown tonight.

“While the House passed a Continuing Resolution that provides funding for our military, veterans, seniors, and kids, the Senate rules require 60 votes to pass spending legislation. Republicans only hold 51 seats in the Senate,” Barletta said in a statement bashing Casey’s vote for a government shutdown. “It was impossible for the Senate to get to 60 votes and avert a government shutdown without Democrat support. By voting no tonight, Senator Casey and the Democratic Senators who joined him are solely responsible for denying funding for American citizens. There are 342,000 children in Pennsylvania who benefit from the Children’s Health Insurance Program and 4,900 DACA recipients. By voting to shut down the government, Senator Casey put illegal immigrants over health insurance for our kids. Pennsylvanians should be furious.”


UPDATE 10:50 P.M.
McConnell is expected to vote against the measure when the vote is closed on the Senate floor for procedural reasons so he can bring the measure back up:


But the vote is still open right now for unclear reasons.


UPDATE 10:45 P.M.
In perhaps the worst possible outcome for Democrats and for Chuck Schumer, there were a majority of senators voting for the cloture measure on the vote to end debate and stop the filibuster on the House-passed government funding bill. That means, since the measure needed 60 votes to succeed, that it would have passed had Democrats voted for it–and despite obtaining a simple majority, a government shutdown will proceed because of Democrat intransigence on DACA amnesty.

A total of 5 Senate Democrats broke with the leadership of their party–Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Doug Jones (D-AL), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)–on the vote. McCaskill was the biggest surprise, as she voted for keeping the government funded and open despite not having previously announced it. Her vote put the leadership of her party in a difficult position, as the deadline for government funding runs out in just over an hour.

Vulnerable Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2018 like Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bob Casey (D-PA), and both Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) fare worst with this result as it empowers Republicans running against them at the beginning of the midterm election year.

The House-passed spending bill would have kept the government open all the way until mid-February, and has had bipartisan support since it passed the House on Thursday night. Six House Democrats voted for the bill then–putting Senate Democrats in an awful position the past 24 plus hours.

The dramatic Senate vote stayed open much longer than expected, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell held his vote back per a Senate procedure that allows him to re-introduce this measure even after failure by holding his own vote back and voting no in the end. But, McConnell would have voted for the measure if it were going to pass which means if he had voted it would have failed with a simple majority of 51-48. The vote will likely technically read as though it failed 50-49, even though McConnell is only likely voting against it so he can use the Senate procedure to reintroduce it after voting no. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who is suffering from brain cancer and is back home in Arizona, did not vote. At a total of four Republicans–Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Rand Paul (R-KY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ)–voted against the measure.

Interestingly, however, the vote still remains open at this time–and it remains unclear if and when it will close, or if any senators will change their votes. What happens next also remains unclear, but government funding runs out in a little over an hour.

UPDATE 10:15 P.M.
The Senate has begun voting on the cloture measure on the House-passed government funding bill. The measure needs 60 votes to succeed. It remains unclear if it will get there, but seems unlikely.


UPDATE 10:15 P.M.
As the country awaits a Senate vote on the House-passed funding bill to keep the government open, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) continues to refuse to say whether she will stand with fellow Democrat Sens. Joe Manchin, Joe Donnelly, Doug Jones, and Heidi Heitkamp or whether she will vote for a government shutdown.


If McCaskill votes against this bill, she will likely face serious criticism ahead of her re-election bid this year in Missouri:


UPDATE 10:10 P.M.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) bashes Democrats willing to shut down the government to play politics on issues that have nothing to do with government funding, like DACA. It is worth noting that his fellow Floridian Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) still is refusing to take a public position on the bill. Nelson faces a tough re-election this year, likely against Florida’s highly popular GOP Gov. Rick Scott.
“At a time when we face so much chaos in our politics, the only thing worse than a short-term spending deal is a government shutdown,” Rubio said in a statement issued late Friday. “I too support border security, dealing with DACA, increasing defense spending and disaster relief for Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico. We should keep the government open while we continue to work on these issues.”


UPDATE 10:04 P.M.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) confirms the Democrats plan to plunge the government into a shutdown over DACA amnesty for illegal aliens. Here’s more of what Coons is saying:

UPDATE 10:03 P.M.
According to MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt, the Democrats plan to vote in a bloc for a government shutdown tonight–imperiling their midterm election chances:

UPDATE 10:01 P.M.
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), a vulnerable Democrat up for re-election this year in a state in which President Trump trounced Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, is still refusing to take a public position minutes from the vote:

Nelson and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)–among others–refusing to take public positions on the bill puts them on the side of a government shutdown unless they vote for the bill on the Senate floor minutes from now.


UPDATE 9:58 P.M.
Democrats admit they essentially have zero plan on how to avoid a government shutdown that they have orchestrated.

The White House’s Marc Short makes it very clear after leaving Sen. Cornyn’s office that this is–again–the Democrats’ fault if the government shuts down, because they won’t vote to stop it:

And House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi throws out some talking points on Twitter:


UPDATE 9:53 P.M.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, confirms to the media there is “no deal” at this time just over two hours out from a government shutdown and minutes away from a Senate vote on a House-passed plan to keep the government open. The fact that the Democrats are unwilling to vote against a government shutdown is severely damaging their midterm election chances, as evidenced by their dropoff in support in the generic ballot per NBC News and the Wall Street Journal in the latest polling.



UPDATE 9:51 P.M.
President Trump tweets tonight that the Democrats want a shutdown:

Here is more on what will likely happen next if the Democrats vote for a government shutdown as expected:




UPDATE 9:40 P.M.
The Democrats are in an awful position ahead of 10 p.m. vote in the U.S. Senate on the measure to keep the government open. That’s why the Democrats are scrambling to try to get some kind of a deal that allows them to save face instead of voting to shut the government down. They are in awful shape, and Schumer and Pelosi steered their members into this position by trying to force DACA amnesty into the government funding battle–something Schumer previously said even Democrats who support amnesty should not do so as to avoid chaos. Republicans are winning right now.


UPDATE 9:34 P.M.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) bashes the House-passed spending bill in a video she released on Twitter, but does not say in the video whether she will vote for or against the bill:

She is getting ripped apart back in Wisconsin as her fellow Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and the front-running GOP candidate against her businessman Kevin Nicholson are hammering her for enabling Schumer’s shutdown.


UPDATE 9:30 P.M.
Fox News is reporting that Senate Democrats are likely to cave here, and try to offer a short-term Continuing Resolution (and frame it as they are offering GOP an off-ramp) even without DACA in it:


UPDATE 9:28 P.M.
Breitbart News’ Sean Moran files this fact check of Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who continues to refuse to say whether she will vote for a government shutdown or for the House-passed government funding bill on Friday evening:

Despite Sen. Claire McCaskill’s (D-MO) claim on Friday that there has never been a government shutdown with one party in control of the executive and legislative branch, there have been multiple government shutdowns with one party in control of Congress and the presidency. In fact, the government has only shut down in recent history with one party, the Democratic party, in control of Congress and the White House.

McCaskill claimed on Friday night, “Never before in the history of this nation has the government been shut down with one party in control of both Congress and the Presidency. Never.”

The government first shut down with President Jimmy Carter and Democratic control of the House under Speaker Tip O’Neill and Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd from September 30 to October 13, 1977. The Senate at the time wanted to loosen the restriction for Medicaid dollars, known as the “Hyde” amendment, to allow funding for cases of rape and incest.

The government shut down once again between October 31 and November 9, 1977, after the Democrat-controlled Congress and presidency after the Democrats could not come to a solution on the issue of abortion funding.

The government shut down for the third time from November 30 to December 9, 1977 over the issue of abortion; the issue was eventually resolved when Democrats eventually granted Medicaid funding for abortion in the cases of rape, incest, and mother’s health.

The government once again shut down under Jimmy Carter and the Democratic-controlled Congress from September 30 to October 18, 1978. The Democrat Congress and President Carter disagreed about Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) Department funding as well a defense spending bill that included funding for nuclear-powered aircraft. Carter believed the defense bill to be too wasteful and the HEW spending bill to contain too much pork spending.

The government shutdown for the last time with a unified, Democratic, government from September 30 to October 12, 1979 over the issue of abortion. The House, controlled by Speaker Tip O’Neill, wanted to return to only one exception to abortion funding.

UPDATE 9:23 P.M.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), per CNN, says a “few things are percolating.”
Meanwhile here is what Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) says:

Meanwhile, House Democrats are planning to meet on Saturday morning to discuss the state of play:


And Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE)–another leftist Democrat planning to vote for a government shutdown by voting against the House-passed government funding bill tonight–is whining about amnesty.


UPDATE 9:20 P.M.
There appear to developments ongoing in the Congress tonight, as Lindsey Graham is hopping in and out of Mitch McConnell’s office.




UPDATE 9:00 P.M.
A little more than an hour before the vote, it has become clear that despite Democrats’ intransigence there will be no DACA deal on Friday night no matter what:


UPDATE 8:58 P.M.
Another Democrat has broken ranks with Schumer ahead of the vote. Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) has announced his intention to vote for the House-passed government funding bill, significantly boxing in any Democrat who votes against the bill–which means any Democrat who votes against tonight’s cloture vote is voting for a government shutdown.


(Lots of tweets at Link)

http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...ff-approaches/

UPDATE 11:59 P.M.
As the government is about to shutdown thanks to Democrats particularly Chuck Schumer, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issues statement on Schumer Shutdown.



"Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown. Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans. We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators. When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. During this politically manufactured Schumer Shutdown, the President and his Administration will fight for and protect the American people."

Sarah Sanders

@PressSec

https://mobile.twitter.com/PressSec?...-approaches%2F