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Senate to Vote on Stopgap Spending Bill, with Gov’t Shutdown Looming

HeadlineJan 19, 2018

The House of Representatives passed a short-term spending bill on Thursday, setting up a high-stakes debate in the Senate ahead of a midnight deadline tonight to reach a deal or face a government shutdown. Congressmembers voted 230 to 197, mostly along party lines, in favor of a Republican-led continuing resolution to fund the government through February 16. In the Senate, many Democrats have said they’ll vote against a bill that fails to protect DACA recipients—undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. This is House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Speaker Paul Ryan: “Senator Schumer, do not shut down the federal government. … Senate Democrats do not oppose anything that is in this bill. They’re just holding this critical funding hostage for a deal on a completely unrelated immigration issue. Yes, we need to address the DACA program, and we are engaged in good-faith negotiations as we speak. But that deadline is weeks away.”

It’s not clear whether Senate Democrats will support another stopgap spending bill. Speaking from the Senate floor Thursday, Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer noted this is the fourth continuing resolution, or CR, before Congress in recent months.

Sen. Chuck Schumer: “There is no promise and no likelihood that another kicking of the can down the road will get something done. We have to sit down together and solve this—with the president or without. Until that happens, no amount of CRs will get this done.”

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