Congress left town Thursday inching closer to a deal meant to avoid a government shutdown. But Democrats said they still need assurances before they can get on board with any funding deal — and they’re not convinced Republicans are trying to court their votes in earnest.
“Right now, to me, there’s no sign that the Republicans are taking seriously the need to pass a bipartisan bill,” Sen. Chris Murphy, an Appropriations Committee member, told NOTUS on Thursday. “There has not been any meeting of the leaders. The White House hasn’t reached out to Democratic leadership, so there’s been no serious effort … among the Republican leaders who run the House and the Senate to try to convene a bipartisan process, and that’s obviously very worrying.”
With about two legislative weeks left before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, appropriations leadership in the House and Senate have yet to convene a full “four corners” meeting with Republican and Democratic chiefs of both committees.