Eight Democrat-caucusing senators broke from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s demand to restore Obamacare subsidies and voted Sunday night to reopen the U.S. government after a shutdown that began on Oct. 1.
The deal, the Washington Times reported, would keep the government funded through January. While it doesn’t offer a promise that the Obamacare subsidies would be retained, a vote would be held next month under the agreement.
The Senate deal replaces a continuing resolution bill passed by the House on Sept. 19, requiring the House to come back into session and return to Washington to vote on replacing it.
If the votes are there in the lower chamber, that means that — at the earliest — the government would reopen on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The 60-40 vote Sunday night, passed a little before 11 p.m. Eastern, garnered seven votes from Democrats and one from a Democrat-caucusing independent. One Republican — libertarian-leaning Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky — voted against the deal.
The Senate approved a government funding package to reopen the federal government Monday night over the objections of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a majority of Democrats.
Lawmakers voted 60 to 40 to pass the legislation with eight Democrats joining with Republicans to support the measure. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the lone Republican to vote “no,” citing the measure’s insufficient spending cuts.
Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Dick Durbin of Illinois voted “yes” on the legislation to bring an end to the 41-day shutdown standoff. Independent Maine Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with Democrats, also supported the funding package.
The bipartisan shutdown package will fund the government through the end of January and advance a slate of appropriations bills that will fund the Departments of Veterans’ Affairs and Agriculture, the legislative branch and military construction for the current fiscal year.
In return, Senate Republicans have committed to holding a vote on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies slated to expire at year’s end and rehire federal workers laid off during the shutdown.
President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Monday that he will abide by the terms of the deal, calling it “very good.”
The successful vote brings Congress one step closer to ending the record-breaking shutdown. The House of Representatives will have to approve the legislation before President Donald Trump can sign the measure into law.
And the Dems are furious.
Leftists, including some elected officials, reacted with apoplectic rage Monday after eight Senate Democrats caved to Senate Republicans by agreeing to vote to end the lengthy government shutdown.
And while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer didn’t appear to be directly responsible, as it seemed the eight had negotiated a deal behind his back, the blame for the massive concession was still flowing his way.
“Despite voting against the deal, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is emerging as the top target for not containing the defections,” Axios confirmed, citing the words of a a number of lawmakers.
…….“Sounds like a lousy deal to me,” Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman of California added.
“People are furious,” a House Democrat described as a “centrist” anonymously said. “It’s an awful deal and a total failure to use leverage for anything real.”
A Democrat described as “progressive” meanwhile told Axios that “people are pissed” because it appears Senate Democrats “got almost nothing” in their deal.
…….Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, meanwhile aimed his ire primarily at the eight Senate Democrats who had voted to reopen the government.
“Tonight, eight Democrats voted with the Republicans to allow them to go forward on this continuing resolution,” he said Sunday evening. “And to my mind, this was a very, very bad vote.”
They push a socialist dystopia and place illegals over their own citizens. The Dems wanted to hold the country hostage over health care for illegals.
Most Americans see right through the Dems’ motivation for screwing the country.
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