Senate Dems balk at Johnson's spending bill, but wait to release their own plan

Senate Democrats have lambasted Speaker Mike Johnson's spending plan as partisan showboating, but they're sticking to a wait-and-see approach before moving on any alternative proposal ahead of an end-of-month government shutdown deadline.

The potential for a shutdown remains low. And it's unclear if Democratic senators will put forward their own stopgap bill, known as a continuing resolution or a CR, or wait for an attempt from the House that they can amend.

What is clear: House Republicans are having difficulties with their stopgap plan, which kicks the shutdown deadline into March and includes a bill that requires proof to citizenship to register to vote.

“We may,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said, when asked whether Senate Democrats will introduce their own rendition of the bill. “We can't have a shutdown. That just is unacceptable.”

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Senate Democrats “are prepared to take a clean [continuing resolution] and move forward with it.” Democrats and some Republicans have advocated for a stopgap spending bill that kicks the shutdown deadline into mid-December.

“They want to engage in politics at the moment, I think that's unfortunate, and it won't pay off in the long run,” Durbin added.

Democrats have a particular problem with the House GOP's attempt to include the SAVE Act as part of the bill, which would bar noncitizens from registering to vote in federal elections, which is already illegal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated Tuesday that he will only take up legislation that is “free of poison pills” and said he is prepared to negotiate with House Republicans on a deal.

Some Senate Republicans have indicated they'd be on board with a stopgap bill that punts the shutdown deadline to later this year, rather than into March. Lead GOP appropriator Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she prefers a bill that goes only until December, as did Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he thinks the "shorter the period the better."

Senate Democrats need the support of at least nine Republicans to pass a spending bill through their chamber. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told POLITICO “there are a lot of grown ups in the Senate” who he expects can find a bipartisan solution.

Durbin noted the House's underlying spending language isn’t far off from the Senate’s and that the chambers are “close in terms of the substance, beyond the political issues.” Johnson is also seeking a six-month stopgap, which Senate Democrats have dubbed a non-starter as well.

“We’re not doing six months,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said bluntly on Tuesday.

Johnson has repeatedly claimed he has no backup plan for his version of the funding bill, which the House is slated to vote on Wednesday, despite resistance from both House Republicans and Democrats alike. What's more, former President Donald Trump on Tuesday posted on social media that congressional Republicans should “in no way, shape, or form go forward” with a continuing resolution without “absolute assurances on election security.”

Still, neither party is eager to trigger a government shutdown just weeks before an election, so no alarms are going off yet. Not only would it create a political blame game, but it’d keep members in town during the upcoming October recess, when lawmakers up for reelection are eager to campaign.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said his chamber would "have to see what the House sends us" when asked if he agreed with Johnson's strategy. But, he added, "I think we don't know right now" what it will look like.

"The speaker's got a tough job. Whatever he gets out of the House would be our base product," Graham said.

Government funding runs out on Sept. 30 and Congress is currently slated to be in town only through Sept. 27.

Jennifer Scholtes contributed to this report.