The U.S. just voted 59 to 36 to table the House version of a continuing resolution funding the federal government through November 18. Senator Tom Harkin voted with all but one Democrat to table the House legislation; Senator Chuck Grassley voted with most of his fellow Republicans against tabling the resolution. Details are below.
Only the Senate’s most conservative Democrat, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, voted with Republicans against tabling the House bill. The seven Senate Republicans who voted with most Democrats to table it were tea party favorites: Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio of Florida, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and James Risch of Idaho. Presumably they felt the resolution called for too much domestic spending; that concern prompted two dozen House Republicans, including Iowa’s Steve King, to defect on last night’s vote.
I will update this post with comments from Senators Harkin and Grassley, if those become available.
Because Congress has not approved any budget bills for fiscal year 2012, a continuing resolution is needed to avoid a federal government shutdown after September 30. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in even more urgent need of funding:
Without a resolution, FEMA’s disaster relief fund will run out of money early next week and the rest of the government would be forced to shutdown Oct. 1.
FEMA said its Disaster Relief Fund had just $175 million as of Friday morning and would go broke by early next week, likely on Tuesday.
An unprecedented depletion of the fund would trigger federal laws governing how agencies are supposed to operate in the absence of funds, and the agency said it is consulting with Obama administration lawyers to determine how to proceed.
“The administration is committed to doing all it can under current legal authorities to continue vital operations, including assistance to individuals,” FEMA spokeswoman Rachel Racusen said in an e-mail. ” But there is no question this is a critical situation and one we are watching closely.”
House leaders contend that the Senate is responsible for blocking desperately needed disaster dollars from flowing to FEMA.
“You saw the House act,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) as he left the Capitol early Friday morning. “We are intending that the money gets to FEMA and to disaster victims as they need it.”
The House is scheduled to adjourn later today and be in recess all next week.