WASHINGTON — If you're jonesing for another hit of government shutdown drama, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi provided you a fix on Wednesday.
After two scant weeks of calm, Democrats and Republicans are already disagreeing on how to fund the government in December. At a press conference Pelosi dismissed the Republican plan as "too cute" and said Democrats will oppose it.
For weeks, Republicans have been talking about a funding plan that involves longer-term "minibus" bills for certain departments, like defense spending. The rest of the government would be funded by a continuing resolution, or CR, that extends funding at current levels.
Pelosi isn't having any of it. She said she wants an omnibus bill that covers the entire government.
“If they want to do minibuses they have to add up to an omnibus. But to do a minibus and a CR is like two derelictions of duty. We’re failing on two scores," she said.
Republicans are opposed to passing an omnibus bill during the lame duck session. Republicans and Democrats have under two months to come to an agreement. In late September Congress passed a last-minute CR to extend government funding until Dec. 9.
Pelosi also criticized Republican nominee Donald Trump Wednesday for saying the election is rigged against him. She said that despite all of the hard-fought battles in America's history, never has one side refused to accept the results of an election.
"Almost relishing the involvement of Russia in prying into our records and then saying that the election is rigged on the basis of nothing is really so irresponsible it goes beyond the pale," she said.