Senate To Hold Two Votes On Ending #TrumpShutdown

Donald Trump

The New York Times reports Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have agreed to hold two votes in the Senate on Thursday regarding the ongoing Trump Shutdown.

The Senate will vote Thursday on two separate bills that would bring an immediate end to the partial government shutdown: one backed by President Trump that includes $5.7 billion for his border wall and another that would simply extend funding for shuttered agencies through Feb. 8.

The plan, a compromise between Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, and Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, offers the first hint of a path out of the partial shutdown, which is now in its fifth week and has left 800,000 federal workers without pay. The two announced it Tuesday afternoon on the Senate floor.

”People are saying isn’t there a way out of this mess, isn’t there a way to relieve the burden on the 800,000 federal workers not getting paid, isn’t there a way to get government services open first and debate what we should do for border security later?” Mr. Schumer said. “Well, now there’s a way.”

There will be TWO votes on the Senate floor Thursday.
1. Trump bill with $5,7 billion for border wall.
2. Clean CR, already passed by House, to reopen shuttered agencies through Feb. 8.

Both are procedural votes. First hint of a pathway out. https://t.co/rpj5K1TgZp

— Sheryl Gay Stolberg (@SherylNYT) January 22, 2019

Could this be an end to the shutdown?! @realDonaldTrump vote loses; Senate substitute passes, reopening with all back pay and next paycheck;

House passes it quickly; and we have til February 8th to address the pending appropriations bills.

— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) January 23, 2019

Wait. You mean Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had the authority to introduce legislation to reopen the government the past 32 days instead of blocking all votes in the Senate? Who knew? https://t.co/PA15vQVM0W

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 22, 2019