It looks like Paul Ryan has found the votes he needs to pass the short-term CR, without the Freedom Caucus:
A very dejected @RepMarkMeadows says that Ryan told him he has the votes and doesn’t need the @freedomcaucus to put the bill over the edge. Meadows says there are at least 20 HFC members who are undecided so Ryan would need Dems to push the bill over the edge.
— Eliza Collins (@elizacollins1) January 18, 2018
.@RepMarkMeadows tells me “enough” @freedomcaucus members are no to sink this without Dems, 25? I ask. “Yeah,” he says.
— Eliza Collins (@elizacollins1) January 18, 2018
So Ryan must be getting Democrat votes to pass the CR if he doesn’t need the HFC any longer. Which is a very Boehner-ish move.
In the Senate, Democrats say they have the votes to block the CR:
Shutdown more possible by the minute pic.twitter.com/UNRiULSJ4V
— John Bresnahan (@BresPolitico) January 18, 2018
Looks more and more like a shutdown will happen if this continues. And if Republicans can’t wrangle their own members to vote for the CR, it will create more of a problem in blaming the Democrats for the shutdown…