Senate set to pass government funding bill Friday after Graham pledges to lift hold
Source: The Hill
01/30/26 1:06 PM ET
The Senate is on track to pass a government funding package Friday afternoon after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told colleagues that he will release his hold on the massive spending bill if he gets a vote on legislation to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities. Graham brought the funding package, which includes five regular appropriations bills and a two-week stopgap funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security, to a griding halt Thursday evening, just a day before the shutdown deadline.
But the South Carolina senator eased off his threat to push much of the federal government into a shutdown on Friday morning. He said he would allow the package to move if given a vote on legislation to criminalize the conduct of state and local officials who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement operations. He also demanded a vote on legislation to give Americans who aren’t members of Congress a “private cause of action” to sue the Department of Justice for being investigated by former special counsel Jack Smith, who led the probe into President Trump for his role in inciting the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and his handling of classified documents.
“I’m demanding my solutions to fixing sanctuary cities, at least have a vote,” Graham said. “We’re going to have a vote on the United States Senate in two weeks as to whether or not we should criminalize the act of local and state officials who willfully disobey laws on the books because it’s good politics for them.” “What conduct am I talking about? State and local officials openly defying federal law that’s been on the books for decades, incentivizing more illegal immigration, massive taxpayer rip-off and break[ing] of law and order,” he said.
Senate aides on Friday said they expect the funding package to pass the upper chamber sometime after lunch. The proposal still needs to be approved by the House, which is convening its Rules Committee on Sunday to speed the bill through the lower chamber and get it to President Trump’s desk. That means that funding for 78 percent of the federal government will lapse over the weekend.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5715242-senate-government-funding-lindsey-graham/
REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143608170
They keep DOWNPLAYING that a lapse WILL occur over the weekend. I.e., AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
They could still do a "Stop the Clock" thing (from Riddick's Rules - https://riddick.gpo.gov/, images were from an older version from 1985) -
= new reply since forum marked as read
That could be debated a lot of ways. 
Doesn't deserve the air he breathes. Should be put to better use by endangered species.
