Washington According to three people with knowledge of the discussions, President Donald Trump’s attempts to unilaterally stop funding and reorganize agencies have harmed an already tense push for a bipartisan agreement, which has caused government funding negotiations to stall ahead of a crucial deadline of March 14 to avoid a shutdown.
According to the three individuals, the first stage in finalizing any agreement is for congressional leaders from both parties to agree on a top dollar number to spend in the upcoming fiscal year. According to two of them, Trump’s recent actions are not the main reason for the lack of progress, but they are a contributing element.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate Appropriations Committee’s vice chair, told NBC News in a statement that it is very hard to come to a consensus on how to keep the government running when the president is attempting to unilaterally close important agencies, illegally blocking large amounts of approved funding, and giving an unelected billionaire the power to impose his will on our government’s most sensitive payments system.
Murray stated earlier this week that the amount of trust in our capacity to cooperate in Congress is at its lowest point ever. He added that both Democrats and Republicans must have faith that when a deal is signed into law, it will be followed.
Democrats are debating how to use the deadline to oppose Trump’s administration’s plan to destroy the U.S. Agency for International Development without legislative permission and his attempt to withhold significant government aid.
Despite the fact that Republicans control both houses of Congress, Democrats have two important advantages. One is the slender House majority: Republican leaders frequently have to rely on Democrats to finance the government due to numerous conservative defections. The Senate’s 60-vote threshold, which governs government spending legislation, including short-term measures, is the second and more significant one.
Senate Appropriations Committee member Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., stated, “We’re going to look at ways to try to confront some of these illegal actions he’s taken.” We will attempt to address some of these outrages through the appropriations process.
“If you can’t trust the president to follow the law, then this is obviously a big problem,” he remarked.
As Trump skirts congressional spending authority, the majority of Republicans have either mocked him or dismissed his actions thus far. Trump has political clout over the GOP base supporters who will determine their electoral future, so they are hesitant to resist him.
Despite Murray and Democrats’ claims that they do not want a shutdown, all of that indicates that the likelihood of one occurring next month is increasing.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, responded to a question on Tuesday about whether Trump’s actions have tainted the negotiations by saying, “I have always worked in good faith with my fellow members of the Appropriations Committee, and I expect that to occur this time as well.” A government shutdown is not what anyone wants.
A top-line deal is only the first step. Legislators must then reach a consensus on the specifics of the money allocation and decide whether to include any further policy changes in the measure. Additionally, it’s uncertain if it will be a single bill or divided into multiple ones.
Collins said last week that negotiators are not that near and would not provide a date for when an overall spending level must be agreed upon in order to give enough time to avoid a shutdown.
Jeffries: Trump trying to ‘steal taxpayer money’
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, stated on Fox News Monday that Republicans support Trump’s different executive moves and want to bolster his agenda through legislation, further complicating the chances of a bipartisan agreement.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wrote to colleagues this week to clarify that he has told House Republican leadership that any attempt to embezzle taxpayer funds, terminate Medicaid as it currently exists, or cut off funding for programs that are essential to the average American, as envisioned by the unlawful White House Office of Management and Budget order, must be stopped in the next government funding bill, if not earlier.
The lead Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., stated that Republicans must figure out how to cooperate with Democrats to pass financing legislation while demonstrating that the laws they are drafting would be implemented.
She cautioned that Republicans will not be able to pass funding bills without Democratic support with a two-seat majority, adding that we are actively discussing final 2025 budget legislation and will require such assurances.
To stop some of Trump’s actions, Democrats have initiated or supported lawsuits, but as the administration challenges them, they may take some time to proceed through the legal system. The fundraising deadline offers the party a more straightforward instrument in the interim.
According to a Democratic aide, Democrats have been prepared to exchange offers with Republicans at any time of day, but the process is continuously being slowed down by their own disputes inside the Republican Party. Was this made easier by Trump’s unlawful impoundment of funds? Definitely not. However, this is not the only obstacle.
How to use the funding package to hold Trump accountable is one issue that Democrats are secretly considering. Some might mistakenly interpret their demands for clauses forcing him to spend the funds passed by Congress as an acknowledgement that the legislation as it stands now gives him the authority to withhold them. Additionally, everything they write down or speak in public could be used as legal ammunition by the Trump administration.
Democrats have not yet reached a conclusion, according to people familiar with the discussions.
According to Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who is also a member of the Appropriations Committee, it is a very active discussion at the moment.