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Senate must pass stopgap funding bill Friday to avert shutdown at midnight

Politics

(CNN)Congress is running out of time with just hours to go until a shutdown is triggered by the expiration of government funding at midnight Friday.

The Senate must pass a short-term government funding bill sometime during the day Friday ahead of the funding expiration deadline to avert a shutdown, but lawmakers have been dealing with a series of holdups that have thrown a timeline for a vote into question.

One of those holdups may now be resolved. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who had been objecting to a quick vote on a defense bill, told CNN Friday morning he will let the stop-gap funding bill pass later in the day, which could avoid a shutdown. Paul explained that his main point was to delay the Senate’s vote on the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, for a day.

That could ease the path to keep the government open. But no agreement for a vote has been locked in yet and it is still uncertain if other lawmakers will object to the passing short-term funding bill today.

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    On Friday morning, the Senate cleared a procedural hurdle to advance the defense bill toward a final vote, when it overwhelmingly voted to break a filibuster on the NDAA. The vote was 84 to 13, a major rebuke to President Donald Trump who has been urging Republican opposition. A final vote on the bill in the Senate is teed up for midday Friday, after which, the chamber is expected to move on to funding the government.

    Senate Majority Whip John Thune told reporters Thursday that lawmakers were facing multiple holdups in trying to wrap a vote on a short-term spending bill to avert a shutdown, known as a continuing resolution, and finish up the defense policy bill.

    The short-term spending bill would extend government funding by a week and is aimed at giving lawmakers more time to reach an agreement on Covid relief and broader funding legislation for a new fiscal year. It passed the House earlier this week.

    Paul said Thursday that he was filibustering the NDAA, over an amendment from Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, that Paul says would limit the President’s ability to withdraw troops from a war zone like Afghanistan.

    In addition, Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders has been demanding a vote on a provision that would give individuals $1,200 stimulus checks and a group of conservative senators is insisting on a vote on legislation to prevent future government shutdowns.

    Sanders did not say on Friday morning if he would let the stop-gap pass to avoid a shutdown.

    Asked if he would give consent to let the week-long funding measure pass, Sanders said: “Let’s see what happens.” Pressed further, he said: “Patience.”

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    For now, it’s unclear exactly how the standoff will play out. If a shutdown were to happen it would likely be brief and over the weekend when many government operations are not open.

    The uncertainty over a potential shutdown comes as lawmakers are also continuing to struggle to reach agreement over a new round of Covid relief and a broader government funding package.

      If the Senate passes the stopgap bill Friday, it will set up a new looming deadline — giving lawmakers just one additional week to work out thorny issues that are currently holding up those agreements, or potentially witness the collapse of the talks involved in both issues.

      This story has been updated with additional developments Friday.