Ron Johnson offers to end blockade in Senate spending package
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said on Tuesday that he is willing to waive his blockade of the Senate’s effort to pass spending legislation if he wins an amendment vote on a bill to end government shutdowns.
Lawmakers told reporters that Johnson was in discussions with Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, about the potential amendment vote to the trio of funding bills — known as a "minibus" — the upper chamber is attempting to move.
The bill Johnson wants a vote on is being proposed by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.).
“If they get me that, I’ll consent,” Johnson said. “I need to make sure I get a vote. … That’s my ask. I didn’t ask for anything initially, but I appreciate the work the appropriators are doing.”
“We’ll see,” Johnson said when asked if Collins was amenable to that idea. “Are the Democrats amenable to it? They’re the ones who have to agree to give me a vote on that.”
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was noncommittal about the amendment vote, telling reporters that he had not seen news of the talks.