How a freshman GOP senator became a key broker as Congress worked to avoid a government shutdown
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer
Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin has been spotted all over the Capitol in the last few days, including with his former House Republican colleagues at their conference meetings and on the floor.
Mullin was a key player in conversations between the House and Senate GOP as they wrestled with how to avert a government shutdown, running back and forth between the two chambers.
“I’ve been blessed to have friends on both sides,” he told reporters.
Mullin even caught himself referring to the House GOP as “we,” at one point on Saturday. “If we do it — if the House does it — I still talk like I was there,” he laughed.
Mullin was in and out of the conference meeting Saturday morning where House Republicans considered several options for keeping the government open, and he attended the Senate GOP conference’s lunch afterwards.
“I just happen to have good relationships with the speaker and some of the House members,” he told CNN. “And then with Sen. (John) Thune, I just thanked him for giving me the opportunity to do it, you know, just running back and forth, but it was good.”
“It should be chaotic, it's designed to be chaotic, right? I mean, we all come from different backgrounds and different places. But it's nice to see when we can finally figure out well, as you go through the process, the options get narrower and they get fewer and then when you finally get down the last two, it's a or b, there's no c left,” Mullin said.
“And we all came together — in a bipartisan manner, that's even better,” he added.
Asked whether he would be taking on this role as a go-between for Republicans across the Capitol more often, Mullin joked, “Lord, I hope we don’t have a day like this."
"I need to bring my gym shorts. We’ll have to bring (Pennsylvania Sen. John) Fetterman’s rule back so I can have the gym clothes to run back and forth," referring to the controversy in the Capitol earlier in September when Senate Majority Leader a Chuck Schumer decided to stop enforcing the Senate's unwritten dress code, only to have a formal resolution requiring business attire passed a week later.
While Mullin acknowledged that the short-term spending resolution may put Congress back in the same spot in mid-November, he was optimistic they had learned something from this experience.
“I can see us being right back here in 45 days. But there was a lot more motivation, since we’ve already did this fire drill, there’s going to be a lot more motivation for us to start working Monday on getting these issues ironed out,” he said.
Defense secretary calls for more Ukraine aid following the passage of the stopgap bill
From CNN's Mike Callahan
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin welcomed congressional passage of a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown, but he called for more Ukraine funding in a statement on Saturday night.
The short-term funding measure does not include new aid for Ukraine it its battle against Russia's full-scale invasion.
“I welcome congressional action tonight to avert an unnecessary and destructive government shutdown that would have had a profound impact on the lives our troops and civilians who work and sacrifice to defend this country every day. But I also urge Congress to live up to America’s commitment to provide urgently-needed assistance to the people of Ukraine as they fight to defend their own country against the forces of tyranny. America must live up to its word and continue to lead, ” Austin said.
What government leaders say: House Democratic leadership said in a statement Saturday that they expect House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to bring a separate Ukraine aid bill to vote when the House returns.
Bipartisan members of Senate leadership also released a joint statement committing to vote on further funding for Ukraine aid "in the coming weeks," after Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet objected to the Senate's consideration of the short-term spending bill over concerns about the lack of funding.
“We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Saturday night.
Here's what Republican senators who voted against the stopgap bill are saying
From CNN's Kaanita Iyer
The US Senate passed a stopgap bill tonight to keep the government funded through November.
The final vote was 88 to 9. Some of the senators who voted against the bill are now speaking out. Here's what they're saying:
Tennessee Republican Bill Hagerty
“During negotiations around a Continuing Resolution, I made very clear that I wouldn’t support any short-term funding bill that didn’t include serious border-security measures to help put an end to the Biden Border crisis, & I’m keeping that commitment,” Hagerty said in a post on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, during votes. “My colleagues know that I’ve worked my heart out to this end, and I look forward to working with them over the next 45 days to accomplish this critical goal,” Hagerty added.
Kansas Republican Roger Marshall
“The CR does nothing to address our most immediate national security threat- our open southern border & the fentanyl pouring in,” Marshall said in a post on X. “With a $33 trillion debt crisis, it’s never been more clear America can’t afford to continue these spending levels for one more day, let alone, 45.”
Kentucky Republican Rand Paul
“When I said I'd do everything I could to stop the US government from being held hostage to Ukraine, I meant it.” Paul said in a post on X during votes. “We cannot continue to put the needs of other countries above our own.”
He added: “We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy. I'm grateful to all Members of Congress who stood with me, but the battle to fund our government isn't over yet - the forever-war crowd will return.”
Stopgap bill is currently en route to the White House
From CNN's MJ Lee
The stopgap bill that the House and the Senate passed is en route to the White House, per a source. President Joe Biden is expected to sign it as soon as it arrives.
Bipartisan Senate leadership says they support vote for more Ukraine funding "in the coming weeks"
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer
Bipartisan members of Senate leadership released a joint statement committing to vote on further funding for Ukraine aid "in the coming weeks," after Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet delayed the Senate's consideration of the short-term spending bill over concerns about the funding.
"In the coming weeks, we expect the Senate will work to ensure the U.S. government continues to provide critical and sustained security and economic support for Ukraine," it says.
“We support Ukraine’s efforts to defend its sovereignty against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s brazen aggression, and we join a strong bipartisan majority of our colleagues in this essential work. With the eyes of our partners, allies, and adversaries upon us, we keenly understand the importance of American leadership and are committed to strengthening it from Europe to the Indo-Pacific,” according to the statement.
Earlier Saturday, Bennet told reporters a bipartisan statement was exactly what he had hoped to see when he objected on the stopgap bill to keep the government open due to its lack of Ukraine funding.
"I think it's really important for us to send a message that the dysfunction that we have — in terms of this immediate question about opening or closing the government — doesn't reflect on our bipartisan commitment to make sure that the United States stays in this battle and that we continue to support the Ukrainian people in their in their fight,” he said.
When asked if he trusts the House, Bennet said, “We're gonna have to work every day between now and the next votes we take to make sure that the American people understand how important this is and and that Congress fulfills our obligation.”
He said he is not aware of any timeline from leadership.
Following the release of the bipartisan statement, Bennet in a separate statement addressed the need for Senate leadership to reaffirm support for Ukraine.
"I objected tonight to proceeding to the Continuing Resolution because it failed to provide additional money for Ukraine. Senate Leadership needed to reaffirm our bipartisan commitment to sustain funding for Ukraine. The Senate Leadership has released such a statement, and, as a result, I voted to keep the government open," he said in the statement.
CNN's Haley Talbot contributed to this post.
Biden calls last-minute scramble to pass stopgap funding measure "manufactured crisis"
From CNN's Aileen Graef
President Joe Biden praised bipartisan efforts to keep the government open tonight and funded through November but added that the last-minute scramble by House Republicans was a “manufactured crisis” that could have been avoided months ago.
“Tonight, bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate voted to keep the government open, preventing an unnecessary crisis that would have inflicted needless pain on millions of hardworking Americans,” the president said in a statement Saturday night, marking the passage of the stopgap bill.
Biden went on to slam House Republicans for a “manufactured crisis” saying, “We should never have been in this position in the first place. Just a few months ago, Speaker McCarthy and I reached a budget agreement to avoid precisely this type of manufactured crisis.”
Biden did reiterate his support for Ukraine, urging Congress to pass separate funding for assistance to Ukraine in the war against Russia.
“While the Speaker and the overwhelming majority of Congress have been steadfast in their support for Ukraine, there is no new funding in this agreement to continue that support. We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted,” he said.
The stopgap bill will fund the government through November 17.
Earlier Saturday, a White House official said Biden is on standby right now to sign the short-term government funding bill as soon as it reaches his desk.
These are the 9 Republican senators who voted against the stopgap funding bill
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer
Schumer praises colleagues for voting to keep the government open
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised his colleagues for passing a stopgap spending bill to fund the government, averting a shutdown until mid-November.
"It has been a day full of twists and turns, but the American people can breathe a sigh of relief: there will be no government shutdown tonight," he said in remarks Saturday on the Senate floor.
"I want to thank my colleagues here in the Senate, especially our appropriators," Schumer said, noting that the the bipartisan work in the chamber "set the tone" for the bill they were about to to pass.
"Our bipartisanship made this bill possible," added Schumer. "We will keep the government open for 45 days with a clean (continuing resolution), at current funding levels."
Schumer claimed victory, saying that "we avoided all of the extreme, nasty, and harmful cuts MAGA Republicans wanted," and he argued that the Senate had set the bipartisan example for the House.
"Democrats have said from the start that the only solution for avoiding a shutdown is bipartisanship, and we are glad Speaker McCarthy has finally heeded our message," he said. "In the end, more Democrats supported this bill in the House than Republicans, proving bipartisanship was the best answer all along."
NOW: Senate passes stopgap bill to avert shutdown
The Senate has passed a stopgap funding measure within hours of its deadline to prevent a federal government shutdown.
The Senate vote was 88 to 9.
The Senate passed the measure Saturday evening after the House abruptly reversed course and passed a bipartisan bill to extend government funding earlier in the day just hours ahead of the deadline. The House vote came after days of uncertainty over whether a shutdown could be averted. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk for approval.
The bill would keep the government open through November 17 and includes natural disaster aid but not additional funding for Ukraine or border security. It also includes a measure to keep the Federal Aviation Administration operational.
