Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Senate Republicans will vote against advancing the chamber’s bipartisan stopgap spending bill as members see an emerging bill coming from the House as the main way to avoid a government shutdown.
McConnell told reporters that the House bill, which is a 45-day continuing resolution that includes disaster aid funding but no money for Ukraine, is the preferred option of his members, and that they will overwhelmingly vote against cloture in order to focus on that option.
Shortly after McConnell’s remarks, that bill passed the House in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 335-91 vote and heads to the Senate.
“I’m fairly confident that most of my members — our members — are going to vote against cloture,” McConnell said. “Not necessarily because they are opposed to the underlying bill. But to see what the House can do on a bipartisan basis, and then bring it over to us.”
“Under these circumstances, I’m recommending a ‘no’ vote,” McConnell continued. “Even though I very much want to avoid a government shutdown.”
Updated at 3:25 p.m.
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