The three-day government shutdown is on the verge of ending after enough Senate Democrats joined Republicans to advance a three-week extension of funding in exchange for GOP assurances that Congress would take up a larger immigration bill in that time.
The stopgap funding measure, which needed 60 votes to clear a key procedural hurdle, was approved 81 to 18.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the agreement shortly ahead of the vote: “After several discussions, offers, counter-offers, the Republican leader and I have come to an arrangement. We will vote today to reopen the government to continue negotiating a global agreement, with the commitment that, if an agreement isn’t reached by February 8, the Senate will immediately proceed to consideration of legislation dealing with DACA.” – READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″] [divider][/divider]The U.S. government shut down Saturday after Democrats and Republicans could not come together on an agreement over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Democrats came out and aggressively pinned the blame on President Donald Trump and the GOP, while the Republicans claimed the opposite.
During the shutdown, members of Congress will continue to get paid while members of the military and some first responders will not.
Nancy Pelosi is "very proud" Democrats shut the government down over illegal immigration and is taking Democrats out tonight to celebrate. Nice message to send to the brave men & women of our military and border patrol forced to work without pay during the #DemocraticShutdown https://t.co/438vcZvf3k
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 21, 2018
That didn’t stop House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) from inviting House Democrats to dinner Saturday night. The group went to dinner at Acqua Al 2, a restaurant on Capitol Hill. – READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″] [divider][/divider]When the government began its shutdown Friday, people on both sides of the political aisle tossed blame at one another.
The impact the shutdown has on government services is far-reaching. The suspension of federal funding makes things especially difficult for our men and women in uniform.
According to Pew Research, there were 1.3 million active dutymembers of the U.S. military in 2016, and in August, the Pentagon announced there were 11,000 troops serving in Afghanistan.
I received this from a young infantryman serving in Afghanistan this morning. Sad that the men and women who have sacrificed so much are deprived of even the most basic connection to home bc Democrats are playing political games. #SchumerShutdown pic.twitter.com/jcUqU2crF1
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 20, 2018
If Congress fails to pass a provision for the military and the shutdown extends through Feb. 1, it will have a devastating impact on military pay. But as it turns out, services to our troops are already being cut.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders shared a picture she received from an infantryman in Afghanistan, driving home the point about just how much a shutdown impacts those abroad. – READ MORE