Deal to advance Senate ‘minibus’ spending bill starts to take shape

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said Tuesday he would drop his objection to combining three appropriations bills if he is guaranteed a vote on legislation to stop government shutdowns during the amendment process.

“Get me that vote and I’ll consent, I need to make sure I get a vote,” Johnson said, speaking with reporters following a Senate Republican luncheon on Tuesday.

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Last week, Johnson demanded the Senate take up each appropriations bill one by one, which has held up the process, emphasizing that combining the bills could weaken the influence conservatives could have over the spending bills.

“I didn’t ask for anything initially, but I appreciate the work the appropriators have done and they want to do it this way,” the Wisconsin senator added.

Johnson’s bill, introduced with Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) at the beginning of the year, “would implement an automatic continuing resolution, on rolling 14-day periods, based on current spending levels enacted in the previous fiscal year,” if there is a funding lapse.

The potential compromise would mean the Senate would not have to vote this week on suspending the rules, which would have required the unanimous consent of 67 senators in order to pass. However, it would require the cooperation of Democrats.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, said their lunch meeting was “constructive” and confirmed the discussion of a deal to move forward with Johnson.

“We may have achieved a breakthrough, but that remains to be seen,” Collins said, speaking with reporters. “I’ve asked Sen. Lankford to give us the language of his stop government shutdown bill, and we will hotline it and we will talk to the Democrats right now.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was asked about the potential deal during his weekly press conference on Tuesday by the Washington Examiner, but he said he couldn’t comment because he hasn’t seen it.

Other conservatives have also expressed interest in voting on the legislation to stop government shutdowns.

“We’d like to get a vote, hopefully on the government shutdown bill, that’s a possibility,” said Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN). “Obviously, none of us are for shutting the government down. So, we have to be careful when you want to get some reforms made, so you don’t get saddled with that.”

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Last week, by a vote of 85-12, the Senate cleared the first procedural hurdle in passing the legislation which combines three appropriations bills, transportation and housing, agriculture and military construction, and Veterans Affairs.

Ahead of the August recess, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved all 12 bills in line with the caps laid out in the debt ceiling deal negotiated by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). The agreement limits overall national security spending in fiscal 2024 to $886 billion, which is roughly a 3% increase from current levels. In fiscal 2025, defense spending would be capped at $895 billion, a 1% increase from the previous year.

David Sivak and Emily Jacobs contributed to this report.