As of this morning, we’ve entered into the third day of the government shutdown, which was engineered primarily by Senate Democrats trying to force a vote on extending legal protections to undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors.
This entire brouhaha was completely avoidable had Democrats acted more responsibly and not tried to force President Trump’s hand on such a contentious issue. But, here we are. The government is shut down, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is working furiously behind the scenes to broker a deal.
Here’s what we know so far: The Senate is planning to have a vote at noon to reopen the government. According to CNN, “The Senate is scheduled to have a key vote at noon Monday on a bill to reopen the government and fund it for three weeks, though it’s unclear if this plan will win over enough Democrats to pass.”
Democrats blocked the same vote earlier this morning, approximately around 1 A.M.
Robert Costa of The Washington Post reports that there will be a 10 A.M. meeting between moderate senators in both parties that will hopefully reach a deal acceptable to all:
Group of mostly centrist/shutdown averse senators to meet at 10am. That will be a key meeting and reveal a lot about who is ready to vote yes at noon (or not), especially among red state Democrats
— Robert Costa (@costareports) January 22, 2018
Democrats know Republicans won’t cave on re-extending DACA protections to undocumented immigrants while the government is closed. But, according to Costa, they are demanding a guaranteed vote on a DACA bill in exchange for funding the government.
Senate Dems meet at 11. What many moderate Dems tell me they want in order to get to “yes” on that noon vote to reopen govt: a commitment from McConnell to hold an immigration vote before Feb. 8th…
— Robert Costa (@costareports) January 22, 2018
Here’s the way one Dem explains it: McConnell said he is willing to consider an immigration bill *as long as govt is open* but that’s not enough. He needs to tell us there will be a vote before Feb. 8. Why? We want it locked in that Sen will vote, then put pressure on the House.
— Robert Costa (@costareports) January 22, 2018
What do you think? Will the Senate pass a spending bill to reopen the government today? Will Democrats continue to keep the government closed? Tell us your thoughts below!
