The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
US government set to reopen after action pledge on ‘dreamers’
Democrats drop opposition to funding bill
The US Congress is speeding towards reopening the government as Senate Democrats dropped their objections to a temporary funding bill.
Democrats’ objections were dropped in return for assurances from Republican leaders that they will soon address immigration and other contentious issues.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s commitment to quickly tackle the issue of immigrant ‘Dreamers’ was contingent on Democrats providing enough votes for a stopgap spending measure lasting a little less than three weeks.
The measure needed 60 votes, and Democrats provided 33 of the 81 it got.
Eighteen senators, including members of both parties, were opposed.
Before the government can reopen the Senate must vote on final passage, the House must approve in turn, and President Donald Trump must sign the measure.
Democrats climbed on board after two days of negotiations that ended with new reassurances from Mr McConnell that the Senate would consider immigration proposals in the coming weeks.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer lent his backing to the agreement during a speech on the chamber’s floor.
“Now there is a real pathway to get a bill on the floor and through the Senate,” he said of legislation to halt any deportation efforts aimed at ‘Dreamers’, who were brought to the country as children and are now here illegally.
The White House downplayed Mr McConnell’s commitment, and said Democrats caved under pressure.
“They blinked,” principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah told CNN.
Earlier yesterday, Mr McConnell raised hopes for a quick end to the shutdown, saying “I hope and intend” to reach agreement soon on immigration and other contentious issues – if the Democrats agreed to the stopgap spending measure.
A block of liberal Democrats – some of them 2020 presidential hopefuls – stuck to their opposition.
Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Dianne Feinstein of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Cory Booker of New Jersey voted no, as did Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont.