The U.S. House of Representatives passed a three-week spending bill Wednesday, attaching it to a popular bill providing assistance aid for those affected by natural disasters. Senate Republican leaders continue to say they will not bring a spending bill to the floor without the border wall funding President Trump wants.
Much of the federal government remains closed – the longest such shutdown in U.S. history.
“The only way out of this impasse is a bipartisan agreement,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said. “As the Democratic leader and I have both stated here on the floor, only an all-corners, bipartisan agreement will receive a vote here in the Senate.”
Senators from both sides of the aisle renewed a push Wednesday to encourage President Trump to agree to a short-term spending bill that re-opens government and allows more time for negotiation on immigration. The President has repeatedly rejected that idea.
President Trump did sign a bipartisan bill Wednesday to guarantee backpay to furloughed federal employees.
Post-Leadership, McConnell Plans to Push for More Defense Funding
When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell steps down from his Senate leadership role after the November elections, he’ll have at least two more years in the Senate. Now he’s signaled one of his priorities as a rank-and-file Senator is to increase defense funding,...
