Senate Buys Time for Spending Negotiations

The Senate avoided a government shutdown on Saturday, passing a short-term funding bill while negotiations continue toward a $1.1 trillion spending plan.

Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid said he intends for a cloture vote on the bigger spending package, coined the "CRomnibus," to come at 1 a.m. Sunday. A final vote would likely come Monday morning.

Reid, in his final days at the Senate's helm, plans to use the funding impasse—and resulting Saturday workday—to move through a list of about 20 of President Obama's nominees. As many as 40 roll call votes could be necessary to fill executive branch slots, including the head of the Social Security Administration, head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, judicial posts and a controversial surgeon general nominee. "This impasse we're having here today is not about nominees," he said. "It's about preventing us from funding the government."

Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn said he hopes this won't last long. But this isn't the only time rank-and-file members have held up a vote on keeping the government funded. Last year, Sen. Ted Cruz is charged with helping coordinate a strategy to shut down the government in pursuit of a vote to defund the Affordable Care Act.

Republicans are hoping to avert a recurrence but a last-minute procedural maneuver on Friday night by Republicans Cruz and Mike Lee blocked the Friday vote and, at around 11 p.m., forced Senators to come back today. Obama's executive order on immigration has enraged Cruz and other conservatives. Cruz and Lee are demanding a vote to prohibit funds for enacting the immigration action before Jan. 1.

And therein lies the split in the Republican party. Many Republicans, including leadership, believe they should handle it when they have the majority in January. "Fight when we can win and get something accomplished," said North Dakota Republican Sen. John Hoeven. "That's what we're trying to set up for next year when we have the majority in the Senate."

Saturday morning, many GOP senators criticized the move by Cruz and Lee as counterproductive for the Republicans. "Every senator has his or her right to legislate the way they want to," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said, "and I'd be the first to stand up for their rights. On the other hand, you should have an end goal in sight if you're going to do these types of things, and I don't see an end goal other than irritating a lot of people."

Democrats also face their own internal struggle. Many on the left, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are balking at the spending package. They are upset over additions that would roll back parts of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Law's regulations and changes to campaign finance rules.