Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) isn't mincing words about his own party's leader. He accused Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) of being too cautious in talks with Democrats to prevent a government shutdown in September, and he's betting that Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) won't be able to cut a deal anyway.
"I love John Thune. He's my leader. He's got a big brain. He's better looking than me. But I think he's just being too cautious," Kennedy said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Kennedy argued that Thune is wasting limited Senate time negotiating with Schumer, because progressive Democrats won't let the New York senator compromise. "They already want to give Schumer a bathrobe, a popsicle and an early bedtime, and have him retire," Kennedy said. "I don't think Chuck can agree with us. I think he's going to shut down the government."
The House last week passed a stopgap bill 220-205 that would keep current agency funding going through Dec. 4. That's unusually early action ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline. But most legislation needs 60 votes in the Senate, so Republicans will need Democratic support. Thune has asked Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) to prepare a "bipartisan and clean continuing resolution" that extends funding past the November election.
Kennedy and other conservatives want lawmakers to push President Donald Trump's SAVE America Act instead. That bill would require photo identification and documentary proof of citizenship for federal voting. Democrats argue it could disenfranchise eligible voters. "We need to go back to having an election day, not an election month," Kennedy said. "That, to me, is what the SAVE Act is all about, and I think we can pass it."
Trump has been turning up the heat on Thune, making the election bill his top congressional priority. The standoff has already prompted Schumer to accuse Trump of "cheerleading" a September shutdown. House Republicans have explored attaching the measure to a defense policy bill or using budget reconciliation, which would let it pass with a simple Senate majority. But Reuters reports that strong Democratic resistance leaves the bill's path uncertain.
This isn't the first time the SAVE Act has caused a funding fight. Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security went through a lengthy shutdown after Trump rejected an off-ramp unless funding was tied to the SAVE America Act. With the September deadline looming, the question is whether Thune can find a way to keep the government open — or if Kennedy's prediction that Schumer will pull the plug turns out to be right.
