Top Democrats quickly ruled out supporting a short-term government funding plan Republican leaders put forth Tuesday, raising the chances of a shutdown in two weeks.
Why it matters: Both sides are now fully engaged in a preemptive blame game, arguing the other side would bear responsibility for a government funding lapse on Oct. 1.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in a joint statement said the GOP plan "fails to meet the needs of the American people."
- House Republicans released a stopgap spending bill on Tuesday that would fund the government through Nov. 20 and provide additional resources for lawmaker security.
The big picture: Schumer and Jefrries' outright rejection of the GOP spending plan is a power play to try to get Republicans to the negotiating table on funding.
- GOP leaders have so far refused to meet with their Democratic counterparts on the funding question, but Democrats argue any compromise must include bipartisan negotiations.
- "By refusing to work with Democrats, Republicans are steering our country straight toward a shutdown," Schumer and Jeffries said in the statement.
- Top Democrats on the powerful House and Senate Appropriations panels also rejected the GOP plan on Tuesday.
Between the lines: Republican leaders want Democrats to accept the short-term funding plan, arguing it includes no conservative poison pills.
- The House proposal maintains current spending levels and adds $30 million in for member security.
- The measure also includes a $1 billion fix to D.C.'s budget stemming from an earlier funding bill that took the unusual step of treating D.C. as a federal agency.
Go deeper: Republicans dare Democrats on avoiding government shutdown
