President Donald Trump’s demand for a third party-line spending bill — including $350 billion for defense spending and voter ID requirements — isn’t landing on Capitol Hill.
“A 3.0 is not something that I see in the cards,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told Semafor. “If the vote were right now, I’d say I don’t know where you’re going to be able to find” 50 votes.
She added that it’s a “dangerous strategy” for the Trump administration to count on defense funding through the budget reconciliation process.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune was noncommittal on Thursday, saying it depends on whether there are 50 votes for anything. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., both openly doubted another party-line spending bill earlier this week.
An administration official pointed to Trump’s Wednesday post, in which he said Congress needs to pass the third party-line package “ASAP.”