Senate seeks return to bipartisanship with government funding stopgap, sanctions bill

The Senate is aiming to spend its final two weeks before a monthlong summer recess showing bipartisanship still exists.

If all goes according to plan, the chamber could pass two or three bipartisan bills before it adjourns on Aug. 6 or 7 until after Labor Day.

Republican leaders hope that after two record government shutdowns this Congress, Democrats help pass a stopgap bill to fund the government through the midterm elections this fall.

“We have an opportunity now to chart a new path,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican. “I’m encouraged that, so far, my Democrat colleagues have signaled that they do not want to force another government shutdown.”

Democrats, indeed, say they’re open to a deal. Top appropriators are in the midst of negotiating one.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, said he supports the talks and “we’ll see what happens.”

The House passed a funding extension through Dec. 4. All but six Democrats voted in opposition, citing language that would let the Department of Homeland Security shift billions to border patrol agents working on President Trump’s deportation force after Republicans already provided the agency three years of funding in a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill.

Avoiding similar immigration enforcement funding tripwires will be key to securing a bipartisan deal in the Senate.

Senators in both parties are also eager to pass a Russia sanctions bill led by their late colleague Lindsey Graham.

They’ve already renamed the bill after him and say passing it next week, as Mr. Graham is laid to rest after funeral services in Washington and South Carolina, would be a fitting tribute.

The bill imposes sanctions on wide swaths of the Russian economy, including its energy, financial and defense industries.

It also authorizes tariffs on the five major purchasers of Russian oil: China, India, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.

Mr. Trump requested that senators add Iran sanctions to the bill, and Mr. Thune said they intend to comply.

Democrats appear to be on board, although their lead coauthor, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, said he would have preferred to stick to the initial deal for which Mr. Graham got White House approval in the days before he died.

“But my goal is to make sure we have a bill that passes,” he said, noting he’s vetting the Iran sanctions with Democrats per a request from Sen. Darline Graham, the sister and replacement of the late South Carolina Republican.

The Iran sanctions in question are already law but sunset at the end of the year.

“This provision has been extended repeatedly by an overwhelming bipartisan majority … so I don’t think it should be tremendously controversial,” Mr. Blumenthal said.

In the Republican Conference, there is far more optimism about Democrats helping pass the sanctions bill than the government funding stopgap, known as a continuing resolution or CR.

It does not help that the deadline to fund the government is not until Sept. 30, as many lawmakers admit Congress works best under pressure.

“When is the last time we ever passed a clean CR in July?” said Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina Republican. “I don’t even think since the Earth’s crust has cooled that’s ever happened. So why do we think in this environment of politics it’s likely to occur this time?”

Sen. Chris Coons, Delaware Democrat, said his party wants to avoid another shutdown, but securing a bipartisan deal will be “tough.”

Mr. Trump, meanwhile, wants Senate Republicans “before leaving for the August recess” to adopt a budget blueprint teeing up the GOP’s third filibuster-proof reconciliation bill.

The House adopted a budget providing reconciliation instructions for up to $95 billion in spending on defense needs, economic assistance to farmers and implementation of voter ID and other election requirements.

Mr. Trump said on social media that the bill that follows will be one of the most consequential in America’s history: “Strengthening our powerful Military, providing aid for our Farmers and, most importantly, as much of THE SAVE AMERICA ACT as possible.”

He added, “Our Voters will be extremely happy — And even impressed!”

Mr. Thune has said he plans to hold off on the budget until after the Senate takes up the appropriations stopgap.

He said that if Democrats block it, Republicans would use the reconciliation process to keep the government funded on their own.

“I think that’s going to have the same effect as sending Chuck an email in all caps,” Sen. John Kennedy said, referring to Mr. Schumer.

“At the end, Sen. Schumer will stab us in the neck, or make a request for a CR that is so unreasonable that we can’t accept it,” the Louisiana Republican said.

Another possible bipartisan measure that could come to the floor before the recess is a three-year extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The modern wiretapping law lets the government spy on foreign targets without a warrant, but it expired June 12.

Senate Democrats blocked a FISA extension in protest of Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist with no national security experience, serving as acting director of national intelligence.

The Senate is set to confirm Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, as the permanent DNI next week.

Although Democrats are expected to oppose Mr. Clayton over his refusal to say during his confirmation hearing that Joseph R. Biden won the 2020 election, they may help pass the FISA extension once he’s confirmed.

“Nothing’s changed. We got to get Mr. Pulte out before we talk about FISA,” said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee.