Republicans pour cold water on Democrats’ hopes to pass a year-long government funding

Republicans are pumping the breaks on bipartisan talks to keep the government open and funded for at least a year.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Tuesday that it’s more likely that Congress will have to pass a short-term spending bill and take the matter up again early next year.

But when lawmakers return in 2023, they’ll be navigating a vastly different political playing field to get things done – one where Republicans control the House of Representatives.

The deadline to pass a spending bill and avert a partial government shutdown is December 16.

It would include money to keep government agencies running and federal workers paid – in addition to other agenda items Democrats and Republicans can agree on.

Congressional leaders including McConnell met with President Joe Biden at the White House last week, where they discussed passing a year-long omnibus package to keep the government running and its employees paid.

Multiple Republican senators indicated to DailyMail.com on Tuesday that they’re opposed to such an extensive spending package.

Last week, McConnell said that there was ‘widespread agreement’ on the need to pass an omnibus bill – but he backpedaled today during the Senate GOP leadership press conference after the parties held their weekly policy lunches.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said lawmakers were at ‘an impasse’ on government funding after last week saying there was ‘widespread agreement’ on passing an omnibus spending bill

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ignored a shouted question on McConnell’s comments at the end of his leadership press conference on Tuesday

‘We’re at a pretty significant impasse,’ he began. ‘With regard to government spending, time is ticking. we’ve not been able to agree on a topline yet.’

He said it was ‘becoming increasingly clear’ that a short-term funding bill ‘until early next year’ was more viable than a year-long package.

‘We are running out of time and that may be the only option left that we can agree to pursue,’ McConnell said.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy suggested on Fox News Monday night that McConnell needed to delay spending negotiations until Republicans control the House next year.

Asked about those comments on Tuesday, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn told DailyMail.com: ‘I understand where he’s coming from. And that may be where we end up.’

‘I think it’s not very promising that the- we don’t even have a top line for an omnibus, so that may be where we end up,’ Cornyn said.

Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul made it clear that he was opposed to an omnibus bill of any kind, period.

‘I think the omnibus bill is a terrible idea,’ Paul told DailyMail.com ahead of the Senate Republican policy luncheon.

‘I think a big spending bill, a Pelosi-Schumer spending bill, is an awful idea and just continues to bankrupt our country.’

Republican Senator John Cornyn was among the lawmakers who suggested a year-long spending bill may be forsaken for a short-term bill that would punt the government funding debate to January 2023

The top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Richard Shelby, said failure to pass a year-long bill will ‘have shown we didn’t do our jobs’

The top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, however, called delaying the year-long bill ‘a slap in the face’ to the United States military.

‘They’re the first ones who’ll get hurt, the veterans,’ Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby told DailyMail.com.

‘I think it’ll have shown we didn’t do our jobs,’ he told another reporter about the possibility of passing a short-term funding bill as a bandaid.

‘It’s not going to get any better next year. We’ll have a divided House and Senate,’ Shelby explained. ‘Let’s see what happens.’

As it stands, Democrats can push their own omnibus bill through the House with just their majority. But it’s an uphill battle in the Senate, where at least 10 Republicans would have to sign on for a successful legislative effort. 

House GOP Leader McCarthy argued that Republicans would be in a ‘stronger’ position to get a spending bill passed next year that more aligns with their priorities.

‘We’re 28 days away from Republicans having the gavel,’ McCarthy told Fox News on Monday night. ‘We would be stronger in every negotiation, so any Republican that’s out there trying to work with them is wrong.’