Republicans unveil stopgap spending bill to avoid shutdown

WASHINGTON — House Republicans unveiled a stopgap measure to avert a looming government shutdown, but passage is uncertain because the bill fails to include action on the Dream Act to protect young immigrants from deportation.

The bill would keep the government running past Friday’s deadline for four more weeks, through Feb. 16, but Democrats are likely to reject the measure without a fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which President Donald Trump is ending this year.

Instead, GOP leaders are relying on their majority to pass the bill through the House, and put pressure on Senate Democrats not to block it. Republicans hold only a narrow Senate majority and they must rely on Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster for passage.

The measure would include a mix of provisions that will likely attract some votes even as they push others away. One is a reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance program for six years, which is important to Democrats. Others include a two-year repeal of Affordable Care Act taxes on medical device makers, and a tax on employees’ high-priced health benefits, the so-called Cadillac tax, that some Democrats also want to end. The GOP measure does not include disaster aid, which is important to members of both parties but has stalled in the Senate.

But even House approval was uncertain after Tuesday’s closed-door meeting left rankand-file lawmakers uneasy over punting the spending bill for the third time this fiscal year.

Some Republicans also want a DACA fix, and plan to oppose the bill unless it has one. Conservatives meanwhile objected to running the government on autopilot, without more spending cuts.

“We know this is going to come down to just a few Republican votes,” said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, after the closed-door GOP meeting. “The number of Freedom Caucus members that are undecided could make the difference whether we pass it or not.”

A House vote is expected today.