Congress hits budget impasse as clock ticks

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Just a week away from a possible government shutdown, lawmakers boxed themselves into a new budget impasse Friday.

With Congress’ approval ratings already at an all-time low, a tit-for-tat over disaster aid left Republicans and Democrats — and the House and Senate — in a face-off that’s all too familiar to millions of Americans. Deep partisan disputes pushed the government to the edge of a partial shutdown in April and to the brink of a debt-ceiling crisis in late July.

On Friday, the Democratic-controlled Senate blocked a Republican House bill that would provide stopgap federal spending, plus aid for people battered by hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters. The legislation also calls for $1.6 billion in spending cuts to help defray the disaster costs.

Democrats say it’s unprecedented and unfair to require spending cuts to accompany badly needed emergency aid. They are especially unhappy that the GOP measure would tap clean-energy programs credited with creating jobs.

Republicans say that with a $14 trillion-plus national debt, business-as-usual spending is no longer acceptable.

With elections coming, congressional Republicans suggest voters will find it outrageous that Democrats wouldn’t accept a mere $1.6 billion in spending cuts. Democrats are betting voters will find it petty and manipulative to let tornado and hurricane victims wonder if federal aid will be denied because lawmakers want to cut aid to automakers.

The parties’ feuding earlier this year prompted a rating agency to downgrade the government’s credit-worthiness, which sent shock waves through financial markets. Legislation finally did make it to passage to raise the debt limit and stave off potential default.

This time, it’s possible that Congress will find a last-minute way to avoid a shutdown of many federal agencies when the fiscal year ends Friday. The Senate plans to vote Monday on a Democratic bill that would not require spending offsets to release new money for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA, drained by several severe storms, could run out of money by next week, officials said.

In the Senate, however, GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is confident Republicans will block the Democrats’ counter-move with a filibuster. It takes 41 votes to sustain a filibuster in the 100-member Senate, and the Republicans hold 47 seats.

If the GOP succeeds, the Senate could accept the House Republican bill it rejected Friday. Or legislative leaders could try to negotiate their way past the logjam. Congress was not scheduled to be in session next week, and House leaders said they don’t plan to call their members back to Washington.

The governors of four hurricane-damaged East Coast states — including the Republican governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania — said in a statement that “federal assistance for the victims of storms and floods should be beyond politics.”

If the disaster-relief agency runs out of money, the most immediate hardships could be felt by storm victims who need assistance checks to continue stays in motels and other temporary housing.

Disaster victims also could face delayed aid for crucial repairs of house and structural damage, said FEMA spokeswoman Rachel Racusen.