Another Government Shutdown Starts After Congress Fails to Pass Spending Bill

For the second time in less than a month, the federal government has shut down after Congress failed to pass a budget deal. It comes on the heels of a difficult week for the Trump Administration.

At about 11 p.m. ET, The Washington Post reported that the Senate recessed until 12:01 a.m. without passing the new spending bill. Even if the Senate passes the bill, it still has to pass the House, where liberals have asked for protections of young undocumented immigrants and conservatives are concerned about the growing federal debt.

A deal seemed likely until Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) delayed the vote Thursday, with a demand for a new amendment.

"The reason I'm here tonight is to put people on the spot," Paul said, reports The New York Times. "I want people to feel uncomfortable. I want them to have to answer people at home who said, 'How come you were against President Obama's deficits and then how come you're for Republican deficits?'"

Paul complained about massive government spending, telling his colleagues, "I think the country's worth a debate until 3 in the morning, frankly."

As CNN notes, Paul has been trying to get an amendment in the deal to keep budget caps. Sources told CNN the Senate leadership does not plan on giving in to Paul.

The deal also struggled in the House. House Speaker Paul Ryan needs some Democrats to vote for it, just to get a simple majority.

The new deal still does not address immigration policy, which has been a major point of contention for Democrats. The bill increases military and defense spending caps to $300 billion. It raises the federal debt limit until March 2019 and adds $90 billion in disaster relief.

The deal runs over 600 pages, but it is still not a long-term solution. It would only keep the government running for six weeks, while Congress tries again to put together a budget deal that would not end until Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

On Wednesday, Senate leadership announced the two-year budget deal, and it looked like the shutdown would be prevented if it passed the House. Paul stepped in on Thursday, adding a new roadblock.

The previous government shutdown, which started on Jan. 20, only lasted until Jan. 22, when the House and Senate agreed to a short-term deal.

This new shutdown comes near the end of a difficult week for the White House. Staff Secretary Rob Porter resigned Wednesday after two ex-wives accused him of abuse. At first, White House staffers - including Chief of Staff John F. Kelly - defended him, but a White House spokesman told the New York Times Thursday they "could have done better" with handling the situation.