SENATE LIMBO The House is widely expected to finish its side of the government funding battle on Wednesday after weeks of turmoil. Now, the question becomes how, and when, the Senate gets out of town. Most senators are fine with the “clean” stopgap bill the House is expected to pass Wednesday evening. Still, after weeks of waiting for legislation from the other chamber, many of them are hesitant to predict when they’ll finish up, anxious about potential arguments over amendments. Passing this bill during the work week would likely require a time agreement, which requires all present senators to agree. And, in a rare feat, Republicans appear ready to play along. (Granted, appearances can change quickly.) “Everybody's conscious of the fact that it's a done deal,” Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) told Inside Congress after Tuesday’s GOP lunch. “I didn’t hear the normal kind of feistiness for amendments and all that stuff.” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a regular objector to time agreements, said he “won't be offering any amendments or getting into any back and forth over the time” because he plans to offer his own budget plan as a privileged motion on Wednesday, rather than an amendment to the stopgap bill itself. With the House now slated to leave town on Wednesday evening, in part due to an incoming hurricane in the Gulf Coast, any amendments to the bill in the Senate would complicate sending it to the president’s desk. And, as Braun put it, many amendment votes “just burn time and never pass.” Reminder: The shutdown deadline is Monday. There’s almost no chance a shutdown occurs. In fact, there’s little desire among members to even work through the weekend — after all, it’s a chamber that cherishes Thursday afternoon flights out of town. We did get some timing estimates: Majority Whip Dick Durbin said he’s “hopeful” for Thursday. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) told us she’s “optimistic” for Friday. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) simply replied “fingers crossed” when asked about chances of wrapping this week. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate intends to “move quickly to get the job done.” Lingering frustration: Senate Democrats are still irritated that the House didn’t move a clean stopgap bill sooner. But some have found solace in hopes that Republicans won't be running the House next year anyway. “Republicans are going to lose control of the House, in part, because of the disaster they've been for the last year,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). ”I think the voters have noticed. So I don't think we're going to have to deal with with a Republican speaker in four months.” — Ursula Perano, with an assist from Katherine Tully-McManus GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday Sept. 24, where today’s author would like to discuss viral hippo sensation Moo Deng. Do we think these politicians really know who Moo Deng is? Hit us up with your take.
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