SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: House Passes Funding Bill Deemed 'Dead On Arrival' In Senate

An already contentious debate over funding the government after September 30 intensified Thursday as Republicans amended their bill to be more amenable to GOP lawmakers and Democrats pledged to oppose it.

Without action by the start of the new fiscal year, the government will shut down on October 1.

House Republicans passed a continuing resolution early Friday morning on a mostly partly-line vote, though the bill drew immediate criticism from Senate Democrats over its spending cut offsets for new federal disaster aid.

“The bill the House will vote on tonight is not an honest effort at compromise," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, noting that the bill is dead on arrival in the Senate. "It fails to provide the relief that our fellow Americans need as they struggle to rebuild their lives in the wake of floods, wildfires and hurricanes, and it will be rejected by the Senate."

The House added $100 million in cuts to the federal program that made the loan to the now-bankrupt solar company, Solyndra, in order to win over enough GOP votes to pass over Democratic opposition. An earlier version fo the bill failed to pass on Wednesday, dealing a blow to tha Republican leadership.

The measure includes $3.65 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, less than the $6.9 requested by the Obama administration and demanded by Democrats.

Michael Steel, a spokesman for Speaker of the House John Boehner, called on the Senate to pass the bill in its current form, noting FEMA could run out of disaster relief money as soon as Monday.

“The Senate should pass this bill immediately, and the President should sign it, because any political games will delay FEMA money that suffering American families desperately need.”

Reid said that the Senate was willing to postpone its vacation to reach a compromise — a prospect House Majority Leader Eric Cantor ruled out early Friday morning — setting the stage for a high-stakes game of political chicken with a week until the deadline.

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Seeking To Avoid Federal Shutdown, House GOP Introduces Funding Bill

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House Republicans introduced a bill late Wednesday to fund the government through the middle of November — saying they want to remove the threat of a government shutdown.

The temporary resolution is necessary because Congress has yet to act on most budget bills — with the House leaving six of 12 unfinished, and the Senate acting on just one. It sets spending for fiscal year 2012 at $1.043 trillion — the maximum amount allowed under the August debt ceiling bill.

If a new funding bill is not passed by October 1, the beginning of the 2012 fiscal year, then much of the federal government would be without the funds to stay open. The GOP proposal would reduce spending by just over 1.4 percent over the current year.

The measure includes $3.65 billion in disaster relief — $1 billion for immediate needs to pay for hurricane, flood, and tornado relief from the current fiscal year after, and the rest for 2012.

The House is hoping to vote on the bill by the end of the week.

Speaker of the House John Boehner said in a statement that the continuing resolution would decrease uncertainty for businesses – and thereby create jobs.

"The first priority for both parties in today’s economy must be removing government barriers to private-sector job growth. By preventing a government shutdown and once again cutting spending below last year’s levels, this bill gives Congress more time to complete work on legislation that stops the Washington spending binge and provides more certainty for job creators. It also ensures those Americans impacted by natural disasters get the assistance they need in a way that’s best for families and taxpayers. This is a straightforward bill that keeps our focus on creating jobs and cutting spending, and eliminates the uncertainty caused by the specter of a government shutdown. It deserves swift passage in both the House and Senate."

Neither Senate Democrats nor the White House had immediate comment on the proposal Wednesday night.

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