Negotiators for the White House and congressional Republicans had a second extended negotiating session late into last night, in addition to the one that lasted four hours in the afternoon. A debt limit deal is still not yet close for House Republicans and the White House as House members leave Washington and the risk of a first-ever default grows, as Ratings agency Fitch put the United States’ credit on watch for a possible downgrade on Wednesday. With no bill to vote on, House lawmakers are leaving today for the Memorial Day weekend, though they will be given 24 hours’ notice to return if and when a deal is reached. Negotiators are trying to make progress on a handful of outstanding issues, in addition to how to cut federal spending, which remains a key sticking point. The expectation is that negotiators will hammer out top line numbers for discretionary spending, including a number for military spending, but leave lawmakers to hammer out the fine details of categories like housing and education through the normal appropriations process in the months ahead. When a deal is reached, the House will need 24-48 hours to write the legislative text, then three days to let members review it before they vote. Then it needs to go to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has said he can accelerate the timeline, but only by so much. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), the chairman of the conservative Senate Republican Steering Committee, is threatening to use “every procedural tool” at his disposal to slow down Senate passage if it doesn’t include “substantial” reforms. Lee could drag out the floor proceedings on a bill for many days, something that negotiators could now have to factor into their timeline as they scramble to reach a deal before the nation defaults as early as June 1st.
Before adjourning today, the House passed H.R. 467 – HALT Fentanyl Act, which would elevate fentanyl to the most serious classification of illegal drugs. It passed in a 289-133 vote, with 74 Democrats voting in support. One Republican voted against the measure, Representative Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky).
The House is now in recess until Monday, June 5th, although will return with 24 hours’ notice to vote on the debt ceiling. The Senate will reconvene on Tuesday, May 30th at 3:00 P.M. and is expected to take up the nomination of Darrel James Papillion to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
