The federal government lurched into a shutdown after midnight on Tuesday, after Democrats in Congress refused to back a Republican-written plan to keep funding flowing.
Unlike many past shutdown stalemates, the current fight is not over any policy provision or funding item that the G.O.P. included in its spending plan. Instead, it is a demand by Democrats for add-ons: more than $1 trillion for health care programs, and limits on President Trump’s spending power.
Democrats are demanding that Republicans, who hold a governing trifecta, negotiate on those terms before they agree to lend their votes to a bill needed to reopen the government.
Given that Congress failed to enact spending bills for the fiscal year that began on Wednesday, an extension is needed to fund the government. Both parties proposed legislation to do so temporarily to buy more time for a deal, but both bills have repeatedly failed to gain the bipartisan backing necessary to move forward in the Senate.
Here is what to know about the dueling proposals.
Republicans want a simple funding patch.
The Republican bill would fund the government largely at current spending levels through Nov. 21. It is known as a clean continuing resolution, or C.R., meaning that it would continue existing funding without any policy add-ons.
The House passed the measure last month, with all but one Democrat opposed. But in the Senate, it needs 60 votes to advance. It has fallen short of that threshold three times, most recently on Wednesday.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The post Here Are the Dueling Plans Behind the Shutdown Impasse appeared first on New York Times.
