Graham to oppose short-term House funding measure

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is coming out against a House plan to prevent a shutdown and keep the government open past Friday.

Graham told reporters on Wednesday that he is a “no” on the bill, which would fund the government through mid-February.

“There’s four of them. Eventually you’ve got to say no. I don’t want to shut the government down, but you know it’s killing the military,” he said of the short-term funding bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR).

The South Carolina Republican added that “it’s the worst way in the world to run the military and the government in general.” 

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Graham’s decision means Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will need 10 Democratic votes to prevent a shutdown.

McConnell could need even more help if perennial “no” votes, including GOP Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Mike Lee (Utah), don’t swap their positions. 

Eighteen Democrats supported a CR in late December. But they’re under growing pressure to oppose the January bill amid slow progress on getting an immigration deal as well as raising the budget caps.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who supported the December bill, has said he will oppose this week’s legislation.

In addition to keeping the government open, House Republicans are pitching including a six-year authorization for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a two-year delay for both ObamaCare’s medical device tax and the law’s “Cadillac” tax on high-cost health plans, and a one-year delay of the health insurance tax starting in 2019.