Cruz, Freedom Caucus, rally to stop government funding measure without wall dollars

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 12: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration hearing on Capitol Hill on December 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. He is pressing to block a stopgap government funding measure that contains no new funding for President Donald Trump's promised border wall. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images) less WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 12: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration hearing on Capitol Hill on December 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. He is pressing ... more Photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images Photo: Zach Gibson/Getty Images Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Cruz, Freedom Caucus, rally to stop government funding measure without wall dollars 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

WASHINGTON – Members of the House Freedom Caucus and other conservative lawmakers, including Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, rallied Thursday to block a stopgap funding measure that would keep the government open past Friday without money for a border wall.

Warning that the budget battle could be their last chance to fund President Donald Trump's promised wall before Democrats take control of the U.S. House in January, the conservatives pressed House Republican leaders to dig in against a bipartisan measure passed by the Senate that would fund the government until Feb. 8.

Moments after the Senate passed the temporary funding measure on a voice vote Wednesday night, Cruz issued a statement calling it a "missed opportunity" to make good on a marquee campaign promise.

"Unfortunately, this continuing resolution fails to reflect these priorities by not sufficiently securing the border," Cruz said. "This is a missed opportunity to deliver on the promises made to the American people."

Cruz's continued opposition recalled his role in a 2013 government shutdown as part of an unsuccessful push to block funding for the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare."

Members of the House Freedom Caucus also took to the House floor late Wednesday night to denounce the Senate bill, which was backed – however reluctantly – by Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate GOP leaders eager to avert a partial government shutdown.

Congress already has funded the majority of the government for 2019, but some half-dozen agencies or departments, including Homeland Security, are operating under a temporary agreement that expires at midnight Friday.

Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows of North Carolina told reporters that Trump's "base will go crazy" if the new Senate funding bill were to pass without wall money. That sentiment was echoed in conservative social media and broadcast outlets.

Among the more outspoken critics was Texas Republican Louie Gohmert, a Freedom Caucus member from Tyler, who put Republican leaders on notice in a fiery speech on the House floor.

"We need Americans to help remind our Republican leaders to help our president build the wall, like we said," Gohmert said, putting GOP divisions on full display. "If we drop the ball on this biggest campaign promise, we're not going to have the majority in either house or the White House."

Trump, who is seeking $5 billion in wall spending for 2019, met with House and Freedom Caucus members Thursday and pressed Democrats to ease off their refusal to include wall dollars in the funding measure.

Later, at a signing ceremony for a farm bill, he said he considers border security an "absolute duty," and that any measure that funds the government "has to include border security."

Although Trump did not explicitly threaten a veto, House Speaker Paul Ryan said after their meeting that Trump would not sign a funding measure without money for the wall.

Ryan said House Republicans were working on a funding measure Thursday that would include wall funding – or at least increased money for "border security." But even if such a bill passes in the last hours of the Republican-led House – by no means a certainty – it would leave the House and Senate at loggerheads, increasing the chances of a Friday shutdown.

Democrats, meanwhile, suggested that the conservative rebellion was futile. "Vetoing the last train out of the station... would be doubling down on a Christmas shutdown and every single American would know it," said Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. "Most importantly, it would not move the needle an inch towards the president getting his wall."

If Friday's deadline passes without an agreement, the government would undergo a partial shutdown lasting possibly until January 3, when the House convenes with a Democratic Majority led by incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who could then pass a new funding measure.