With a shutdown on the line, GOP leaders announced a 10 p.m. Friday vote on the last chance to keep the government open, daring Democrats to filibuster and force the government to run out of funding.
Current money expires at midnight, and without a new infusion many agencies will have to scale back operations, while others will keep operating without the ability to pay their employees.
Republicans were hoping the looming deadline would entice enough Democrats to back off shutdown promises and vote for a four-week “continuing resolution” that would buy more time for broader negotiations. But Democratic leaders had seemed confident they had the votes, combined with several rebel Republicans, to filibuster, saying they will not allow the bill to pass unless Republicans agree to legalize illegal immigrant “Dreamers.”
President Trump met with Sen. Charles E. Schumer, Democrats’ leader, earlier in the day, and both emerged to say they’d made headway but no breakthroughs.
“Making progress - four week extension would be best!” the president said via Twitter.
As negotiations continued Friday night, senior administration officials said federal agencies were planning to “minimize the impact on civilians” if a shutdown does occur at midnight.
Open-air monuments on the National Mall, which were barricaded during the 2013 shutdown by the Obama administration, will remain open to the public, the White House has promised.
One official said government funds considered as “carryover balances” — essentially any unspent — can be used to fund agency operations “consistent with the law.”
Some 1.3 million active duty military personnel will continue at their duties but would not be paid until the shutdown ends, and a “significant number” of civilian employees will be furloughed.
Officials said all federal employees should receive their regularly scheduled paychecks next Friday, because the current pay period ends just before the shutdown deadline. All federal employees are on the same pay schedule.
And the administration says it supports full backpay for all employees at the end of the shutdown.
It’s the fourth time since Mr. Trump took office that the administration has had to issue guidance to federal agencies how to prepare for a possible shutdown, as Congress has lurched over a series of short-term spending bills.
One senior official said they’ve had to try to strike a balance between preparing while not overselling the dangers.
“It’s hard to know which one’s going to be the one that shuts the government down, and which one isn’t,” the official said.
Officials also said a shutdown wouldn’t stop Mr. Trump’s scheduled flight on Air Force One next week to an economic conference in Davos, Switzerland. They said Mr. Trump can bring along personnel who are deemed “truly necessary to support that mission.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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