Senate blocks White House-backed bill to end shutdown
By Jordain Carney - 01/24/19 03:17 PM EST
Senate Democrats blocked a White House backed-plan to end the 34-day partial shutdown, turning it down in a 51-47 vote on Thursday.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) joined with Republicans to advance the measure, but it fell short of the 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster.
In an unexpected development, Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) voted against Trump's plan. Lee is considered a fiscal hawk and Cotton is one of the Senate’s most conservative members on immigration.
The Senate is expected to hold a second vote Thursday on a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the quarter of the government currently closed until Feb. 8. That bill is also expected to fail, though a few Republicans have said they will support it.
The measure backed by most Republicans would have provided $5.7 billion for President Trump’s proposed wall on the Mexican border, and also would have let Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and some Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders apply for a three-year extension of protected status. The measure also placed new restrictions on asylum seekers.
Every GOP senator voted for the measure, which is the first time the Senate has voted on Trump’s request for $5.7 billion for the wall since the partial shutdown started last month.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/426791-senate-blocks-white-house-backed-bill-to-end-shutdown
