Senate shutdown deal stalls over Graham objection
Source: The Hill
01/29/26 11:44 PM ET
The Senate's race to avert a shutdown hit the skids late Thursday night as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) placed a hold on the government funding package, forcing leaders to punt the vote.
Senators had been hoping to vote on the so-called minibus after leaders struck a deal earlier in the day and President Trump endorsed it. Under the agreement, the Senate was set to vote on a package of five full-year funding bills and a stopgap measure funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for two weeks.
But as lawmakers awaited word on the vote late Thursday, a fired-up Graham emerged from Senate Majority Leader John Thune's (R-S.D.) office and declared, "We're not voting tonight."
Graham pointed to language in the bill that would repeal a provision allowing senators to sue if their phone records were collected as part of former special counsel Jack Smith's probe. "What senator wouldn't want notification that they're looking at your phone?" he said. "I fixed the problem that people had. I'm not going to ignore what happened. If you were abused, you think you were abused, your phone records were illegally seized -- you should have your day in court," Graham said. "Every senator should want to make sure this never happens again."
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5714316-senate-government-funding-shutdown/
What the IDIOT media continues to gloss over is that the House passed a package of 6 appropriations bills BUNDLED as a "Minibus". The MINUTE the Senate changes that, it would HAVE to go back TO THE HOUSE, which is in recess until Monday.
It just CHAPS my fucking hide.
HERE is the current Continuing Resolution - H.R.5371 - Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026
Here is what is says -
Public Law No: 119-37 (11/12/2025)
Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026
This act ends the government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, by providing FY2026 continuing appropriations for most federal agencies through January 30, 2026, and providing appropriations through the end of FY2026 for agriculture, military construction and veterans affairs, and legislative branch programs. It also extends various expiring programs and authorities.
(snip)
REPEAT-
NOT "January 31, 2026", NOT "February 1, 2026", NOT "February 2, 2026". IT EXPIRES TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT.
Meaning if both the Senate and House don't pass the changed bill and 45 doesn't sign by midnight, there is a LAPSE (for any Departments/Agencies that were still not funded outside of the current C.R.).
There is a Congressional "tool" where they can "Stop the Clock" over a weekend with the assumption that the votes are imminent and they just need additional time to engross the bill. But I don't even think they are that far along.
= new reply since forum marked as read
