Stopgap Bill to End Government Shutdown Passes Congress
His promises are empty from the start.”
On Monday morning, a telephone call to the White House comment line reminded callers
that the federal government was shutdown and offered the Trump administration’s explanation for why: “Unfortunately, we cannot answer your call today because congressional Democrats are holding government funding for our troops and other national security priorities hostage to an unrelated immigration debate,” a recording said.
Mr. McConnell said on Monday morning that the Senate would move ahead with a scheduled procedural vote at noon on a proposal to fund the government through Feb. 8,
and he urged his colleagues to put an end to the shutdown.
The Senate voted 81-18 on Monday to end the three-day-old government shutdown, with Democrats joining Republicans to fund the government through
February 8 in exchange for a promise from Republican leaders to address the fate of young, undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers.
“ ‘I intend.’ I would much rather he say, ‘I commit’ or ‘I will move.’”
As senators from the group shuffled in and out of leadership offices, Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona and another member of the group, expressed optimism
that such a public statement by Mr. McConnell would be enough to win over enough Democrats to vote to end the shutdown.
On Monday, Mr. McConnell pledged that the Senate’s immigration debate would have “a level
playing field at the outset and an amendment process that is fair to all sides.”
“The very first step is ending the government shutdown,” he said.
