The government entered a partial shutdown at midnight Friday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal \u2014 and some lawmakers\u2019 decision to attend an international gathering in Europe this weekend is drawing criticism from colleagues on both sides of the aisle.<\/p>\n
‘It\u2019s absurd, I hope the American people are paying attention,’ Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n
The deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by the end of the week came with a built-in complication: members of both chambers were scheduled to attend the annual Munich Security Conference, with many set to depart by day\u2019s end Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Without a deal in place, Congress left Washington, D.C., on Thursday after the Senate failed to pass both a full-year funding bill for DHS and a temporary, two-week funding extension.<\/p>\n
At midnight Friday \u2014 with several lawmakers already in Germany \u2014 DHS shut down.<\/p>\n
Both Republican leaders warned members to be prepared to return if a deal was reached. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., gave senators 24 hours\u2019 notice to return, while House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., allowed a 48-hour window.<\/p>\n
Despite the conference being scheduled months in advance, some lawmakers said leaving Washington \u2014 or even the country \u2014 during an active funding standoff sent the wrong message.<\/p>\n
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., blamed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arguing that Democrats blocked Republican-led efforts to prevent a partial DHS shutdown.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
‘Schumer\u2019s what\u2019s deciding this,’ Scott told Fox News Digital. ‘I mean, he\u2019s deciding that he\u2019s more interested in people going to Munich than he is in funding DHS.’<\/p>\n
Several lawmakers from both chambers are attending the conference, participating in side discussions and panels during the annual forum, where heads of state and top decision-makers gather to debate international security policy.<\/p>\n
Members of the House expressed frustration that senators would leave amid stalled negotiations between Senate Democrats and the White House.<\/p>\n
‘The Senate started out a week ago saying, \u2018I don\u2019t think anybody should leave town,\u2019’ Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., told Fox News Digital. ‘Now they\u2019re doing the Munich thing. At least [the House] sent a bill over\u2026not a great pride moment for the federal government, is it?’<\/p>\n
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., led a bipartisan delegation of 11 senators to the conference.<\/p>\n
When asked whether the shutdown would affect his travel plans, Whitehouse said, ‘I hope not.’<\/p>\n
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who was scheduled to participate in a panel with Graham titled ‘The State of Russia,’ according to the conference agenda, said lawmakers should have resolved outstanding issues before leaving town.<\/p>\n
‘I\u2019m not delighted with Republican resistance and unresponsiveness, but it\u2019s on them at this point,’ Blumenthal said.<\/p>\n
House rules prohibit official congressional delegations, also known as CODELs, during a shutdown. Still, several House members made the trip to Bavaria. At least a handful of House Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attended the conference.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., said during a hearing on the impact of a DHS shutdown that it would be ‘unconscionable if Congress leaves and does not solve the problem.’<\/p>\n
‘I\u2019m sure Munich is a great place. I\u2019ve been there many times. The beer is outstanding,’ Cole said. ‘But we don\u2019t need to go to a defense conference someplace in Europe when we\u2019re not taking care of the defense of the United States of America.’<\/p>\n
Lawmakers are expected to continue negotiations throughout the weekend while many are abroad. Senate Democrats have signaled they may present a counteroffer to the White House but have not finalized a proposal.<\/p>\n
If an agreement is reached, it would still take time to draft the legislative text and bring the measure to the Senate floor. Even so, some lawmakers argued that stepping away from negotiations \u2014 whether returning home or traveling overseas \u2014 was the wrong move.<\/p>\n
‘I\u2019ve been pretty outspoken to say we need to stay as long as we have to be here to be able to get things resolved so we don\u2019t ever have a shutdown,’ Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n
‘That\u2019s the easiest way to resolve it is to say \u2018no one walks away from the table,\u2019’ he added. ‘We stay at the table.’<\/p>\n
Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital the situation reflects poorly on GOP leadership\u2019s handling of funding priorities, though he acknowledged the significance of the international conference.<\/p>\n
‘There\u2019s a certain irony that we would not be here to fund essential services of our government, but we have enough time and energy to go to the Munich Security Conference, which admittedly is a very important international gathering,’ Morelle said. ‘But I think it says a lot about the lack of leadership\u2026we can\u2019t do the fundamentals of this job.’<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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