AUGUSTA — The Legislature failed to pass an emergency budget on Tuesday that’s designed to close a $118 million gap in the MaineCare program and provide limited funds for other needs.

Despite earning bipartisan support in committee last week, Republicans said Tuesday they could no longer back the plan. Some offered process arguments, saying that a GOP member who was absent when the committee vote was taken was not allowed to register his vote.

Others said they wanted the budget to make changes to MaineCare — the state’s Medicaid program — because it is not sustainable. House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) said Republicans want general assistance programs limited to three months.

Democrats blasted the GOP resistance Tuesday night, saying they are playing “political games” and leaving nursing homes that rely on MaineCare funds vulnerable to closure.

“There is a difference between a negotiation and a list of demands,” Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D-Brunswick) said in a statement. “They haven’t offered legitimate reasons not to support this budget.”

On initial votes, Democrats in the House supported the budget 74-71 and in the Senate 20-14. But because the bill is an emergency, it needs Republican support to get to a two-thirds majority.

Another round of voting is set for Feb. 25.

The budget covers rising healthcare costs and falling federal financial support for the state’s Medicaid program, which covers half of Maine children and one in three people in Maine.

In total, more than 400,000 Mainers receive health care through the program.

In addition, the budget provides $2 million in funding to fight spruce budworm, an insect that threatens Maine forests.

During debate on Tuesday, Assistant Senate Minority Leader Matt Harrington (R-Sanford) said Republicans want to see work requirements added to MaineCare eligibility.

“It’s unsustainable, we need to fix it,” Harrington said. “We’ve been saying for the last six years that the chickens would come home to roost on this and here we are.”

But Democrats argued that the budget is narrow in scope and that it’s necessary to pass a stop-gap measure quickly because hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities need their payments on time.

Sen. Peggy Rotundo (D-Lewiston), chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, said larger policy issues, such as limits on general assistance, will be taken up during discussions over the two-year budget.

She urged colleagues during debate to approve the emergency supplemental budget.

“This responsible budget simply pays our bills for the remainder of the fiscal year,” Rotundo said. “This budget does what a supplemental budget is supposed to do. It balances our checkbook and only contains items that are true emergencies.”

The budget is the smaller of two proposed by Gov. Janet Mills, who urged lawmakers to act swiftly to close the MaineCare gap so payments to hospitals and nursing homes can go out on time.

“If they continue their opposition and do not support enactment of the supplemental budget, Republicans will force the Maine Department of Health and Human Services into the extraordinary position of having to cap payments to health care providers,” Mills said in a statement.

Work is continuing on the larger $11.6 billion, two-year budget. Public hearings are scheduled to last through the end of the month.