Cracks emerging among Senate Republicans

Patience is beginning to wear thin among Senate Republicans for a prolonged government shutdown, with a growing number at risk of revolting if the fight over funding President Donald Trump’s border wall drags out indefinitely.

In interviews with a wide range of Senate Republicans, a number have grown anxious about the long-term impact of a partial shutdown that has shuttered a quarter of the federal government and impacted hundreds of thousands of federal employees and contractors, including many in their states who will soon miss their first paychecks. And some GOP senators are signaling a new willingness to allow a number of key federal agencies — such as the Treasury Department, the Transportation Department and the National Park Service — to reopen even if the fight over the border wall is not resolved, breaking with the White House and Senate GOP leaders.

“I think we can walk and chew gum,” GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said on Tuesday, adding she’s “amenable to a process that would allow for those appropriations bills …

“There’s a time when that may run out,” Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson said of support for McConnell’s refusal to back spending bills that lack Trump’s support. “But right now that doesn’t run out.”

West Virginia GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who chairs a key subcommittee overseeing homeland security funding, said she “can live” with a continuing resolution to reopen the Department of Homeland Security while other agencies also are reopened. Doing so would punt the funding fight over the wall until a later time.

Already, Republican Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine — who are both up for re-election in 2020 in purple states — have indicated that they would support action by Congress to reopen the government even without a border wall deal. And more could soon revolt.

“Yes,” Collins said directly when asked if she wanted McConnell to allow votes on individual spending bills to reopen the government.

Others signaled they could be on board as well with allowing other federal agencies to open.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida told CNN he would “potentially” support voting on bills to reopen specific agencies absent a border security deal, but he cautioned he would need to see the bills first and understand how they’re structured.

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