House Republican leaders are seeking to ensure speedy passage of legislation to keep the federal government funded and avert a damaging shutdown one month before the midterm election.
The continuing resolution (CR) funds the government through Dec. 11 at spending levels that both parties have agreed to. It also extends the Export-Import Bank through June 30, 2015.
At the urging of President Barack Obama, House Republicans agreed to bring up an amendment to the CR permitting the U.S. to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels as part of his strategy to destroy the radical Islamic group ISIS. Members of Congress have demanded aggressive action against ISIS recently after group beheaded two American journalists captured in Syria.
There are just five working days scheduled before the funding expires on Oct. 1. The House is scheduled to debate the measures on Wednesday and potentially vote on them the same day. If they pass, the Democratic-led Senate is likely to take them up.
Although a government shutdown is very unlikely, there are several potential problems that congressional leaders must avoid in order to pass the CR.
- Tea party groups like Heritage Action and Club For Growth are whipping against the CR because it extends the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank, an agency that offers below-market loans to overseas companies wanting to buy American goods. Many influential conservatives say they want to see Ex-Im shut down because they view the trade bank as a spigot of taxpayer funds for the wealthy and well-connected. These groups have sway over House conservatives and are pushing for a funding battle over Ex-Im which echoes the strategy that led to 2013 shutdown over Obamacare.
- Rabble-rousing conservatives like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) want House Republicans to rewrite the CR and extend the funding cutoff date to March 2015. Why? Because Republicans are all but certain to have more seats in both chambers next Congress, and potentially the Senate majority. That would give them more power to shape the spending bill next March than they would have in the lame-duck session in December.
- Some Democrats want to extend Ex-Im for multiple years, not 9 months. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took that stance on Thursday when she said, “As for the end date to the Ex-Im bank, I’m totally opposed to that. … There’s uncertainty about the longevity of the bank. If you put the date to next June you’re effectively putting a marker as to the demise of the Ex-Im bank.”
- Anti-war progressives oppose the language that would allow for arming moderate rebels in Syria, which could affect Democratic votes. On Tuesday, the Howard Dean-founded Democracy For America mobilized its members against the amendment. “It’s possible that, despite the president’s best intentions, weapons sent to Syrian rebels could find their way into the hands of ISIS — and be used to target Americans,” DFA political director Eden James wrote in an email to members.
Nobody wants to see the funding bill completed in time more than Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), whose top priority is to become the majority leader in January.
“It’s my intention to support the CR,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
