January 1, Senate Pushes Pentagon Funding Amid Shutdown Gridlock

Wyatt’s Take

• The Senate will vote Thursday on funding the Pentagon for a year, even though the government is still shut down.
• Democrats are not all on board, mainly over what extras Republicans might try to include.
• The bill would get paychecks flowing again to our military if it passes.

Senate leaders plan to bring a defense budget bill to a vote, aiming to keep the Pentagon funded while other parts of the government remain closed.

Most Senate Democrats have held back their support and are still against a short-term fix to open the government, but a couple have sided with Republicans on that point.

The defense spending plan already passed a committee with strong approval, and it promises to restore pay to service members stuck in the shutdown.

“It seems like it’s a hard vote,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “Because they all say they want a normal appropriations process, and we’re trying to give them one. I get it, it’s in the middle of a shutdown, which is a complicating dynamic here.”

Thune added, “We need to get the appropriations process going either way. If we’re sitting around here voting every day and they keep voting to keep the government shut down, we need to be trying to move the needle on some of the other stuff that we need to get done.”

Democrats have said their backing will depend on what add-ons Republicans try to bring into the Pentagon bill.

The Senate will also make another attempt Thursday to move a House plan that would reopen the government through November 21.

We need folks in DC to focus on making sure our troops get paid and our national security doesn’t take a back seat while politicians squabble. Heartland families value a strong military and an honest day’s work—Congress should, too.

Wyatt Matters

Out here, if you promise folks a paycheck, you make sure they get it. It’s time Washington remembers the value of work and puts our people ahead of politics.

Full coverage here