Robert Wilkie, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, issued a statement Friday night saying that "all VA operations will continue unimpeded" in the event of a partial shutdown because the VA "is fully funded for fiscal year 2019." In addition, Monday and Tuesday of next week are already scheduled as federal holidays. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise's office told lawmakers they would get a 24-hour notice before the next vote making it likely a partial shutdown would continue through at least part of the weekend. Vice President Pence, along with budget director and incoming acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, continues to negotiate with bipartisan congressional leaders on Capitol Hill Friday night. Politics Here's What Would Happen If The Government Shuts Down This Week While a version of the legislation that includes some $5.7 billion for a wall on the Southwest border passed in the House Thursday night, the Senate won't take up a spending measure until there is a deal that can pass all of Congress and that Trump has committed to supporting. Trump has demanded any funding bill include money for his border wall - his central campaign promise - and appears to be goading congressional Democrats into a fight after being egged on by his base and conservative commentators. ET Saturday looks certain after both the House and Senate adjourned until noon on Saturday without an agreement on spending acceptable to President Trump that would also pass in the Senate. After a procedural vote in the Senate, both chambers of Congress adjourned until midday Saturday.Ī partial government shutdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. Capitol is seen Friday as the Senate worked on a House-passed bill that would pay for President Trump's border wall. Donors in the banking or securities and investment industries gave $1.8 million in direct contributions to South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison’s campaign, slightly more than the $1.7 million they gave to incumbent Republican Lindsey Graham. Wall Street backed some other lost causes. He also gave $2 million to the 1820 PAC, which supported Maine Senator Susan Collins, and $1 million to a super-PAC that backed Michigan Senate candidate John James, who lost to incumbent Democrat Gary Peters.Ī Blackstone spokesman said the company’s employees in their personal capacities have given to candidates on both sides of the aisle and that while Schwarzman has supported many Republican congressional candidates over the years, many other employees supported Democrats. Schwarzman gave $35 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super-PAC with ties to McConnell, making him one of the top donors to the group. A major donor like Blackstone Chairman Stephen Schwarzman gives tens of millions to Senate Republicans and thinks “he’s getting Mitch McConnell’s ear,” Hauser said. Still, Hauser said Wall Street megadonors, especially to Republicans, can expect House and Senate leadership to take their calls. This trend is amplified by the fact that campaign spending hasn’t seemed to have as much of an impact in the age of hyper-partisan elections, Hauser said. The waning influence of Wall Street partly reflects the growing importance of small-dollar donors, those who give less than $200, as a major source of money for Democrats, making them less reliant on megadonors than Trump has been, said Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project, which tracks the conflicts of interest of executives moving into and out of government. Thus far Biden’s only high-profile pick has been incoming national economic adviser Brian Deese, who worked a few years in the sustainable investing department at BlackRock after serving in President Barack Obama’s White House. Trump in the early days of the administration surrounded himself with Goldman Sachs alumni, such as White House adviser Steve Bannon, National Economic Adviser Gary Cohn and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. It’s not clear how much influence or access Wall Street has actually bought. Groups that backed Biden but didn’t spend in any down-ballot races got $61 million from donors in the securities and investment industry compared to $15 million for those backing Trump. The preference for super-PACs backing congressional Republicans wasn’t matched on the presidential level. Those numbers understate political giving from financial industry figures, who donated another $48 million to super-PACs that split their money between congressional and presidential spending. But Wall Street donors also poured $195 million into super-PACs that spent at least $5 million on congressional races, with Republican groups getting $135 million to $60 million for Democratic groups.
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