The House is expected to vote on a GOP-backed "clean" CR to renew present funding through November 21. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
Getting to final approval of this bill would require two rounds of "cloture" to break a filibuster. By the book, this process could take days and certainly bleed into the weekend for the initial round.
However, Senate Republicans want to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral on Sunday. And both sides are anxious to blame the other for blowing up an interim spending bill.
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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is reportedly expected to come out against the procedural vote. ( Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Senate would then vote in similar fashion on starting debate on the Democrats’ still-unwritten plan. The Senate would subject that vote to a 60 threshold. That too will fall short, since there are only 47 senators who caucus with the Democrats.
That produces an impasse.
"It’s good to have a logjam this early in the process," said one senior Senate Democrat to Fox. "It shows that nothing can pass yet."
That gambit allows both sides to make their points and get the other side on the record.
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Such a scenario would prevent a weekend session in the Senate. Both the House and Senate are scheduled to be out of session next week. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown Monday. However, the House and Senate could come back to session after Rosh Hashanah (Wednesday at nightfall) if necessary. The House and Senate have until 11:59:59 p.m. ET on September 30 to both pass a Band-Aid bill and send it to the President to avoid a shutdown.
Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hitchhikers-guide-gambits-avoid-government-shutdown-next-few-days