By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
If the U.S. Senate can’t avert a government shutdown by ending a spending impasse by midnight Friday, the special counsel investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia won’t be impacted, according to the Justice Department.
That’s because all employees working on the special counsel probe are exempt from furlough since their paychecks don’t come from annual appropriations.
“All employees with the Special Counsel’s Office are considered exempt and would continue their operations in the case of a lapse in appropriations,” Justice Department spokesman Ian Prior told The Hill.
Late Thursday, the U.S. House approved a short-term extension on government funding to allow the Senate an opportunity to reach an agreement by midnight to avert a shutdown.
But many Democrats emphatically pledged to reject the GOP plan without concessions that would prevent the deportation of younger immigrants who were brought to the country illegally.
Although Republicans have a majority in the Senate, the funding bill requires 60 votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster.
