Senate hopes to blow through procedural hurdles in bid to reopen government
The ball is rolling to reopen the government, but there is still much left to do in the Senate before the record-shattering shutdown comes to an end.Sunday night’s successful vote,...
By Fox News · Fox News
The ball is rolling to reopen the government, but there is still much left to do in the Senate before the record-shattering shutdown comes to an end. Sunday night’s successful vote, which saw eight Senate Democrats splinter from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., and their colleagues, was a massive step forward in the shutdown slog. But there are several votes left and procedural roadblocks that could be weaponized that could grind the Senate’s march to advance its package to the House to a halt. If all 100 senators agree to fast-track the process, the package could move as quickly as Monday night. SENATE DEMOCRATS CAVE, OPEN PATH TO REOPENING GOVERNMENT But if not, the bipartisan plan could stagnate in the upper chamber for several days. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was optimistic that the Senate could finish its work Monday night but said that would be up to Senate Democrats. "Obviously, there are objections from the left, but as long as the votes are there to proceed, we will move forward, and hopefully without a lot of disruption or delay or fanfare right now," Thune said. "The point is, we are on a path to get the government reopened, and we should try to get it done as soon as possible." Schumer didn’t say whether Democrats would block any attempt to move the process along but did blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for the shutdown, which stretched into its 41st day on Monday. The core of Democrats’ shutdown demands rested on a guarantee that expiring Obamacare subsidies would be dealt with before Schumer released the votes to reopen the government. But, the deal that was struck among bipartisan negotiators only reaffirmed Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s, R-S.D., earlier promise of a vote once the shutdown ended. SENATE DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS REACH DEAL TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT "Democrats demanded that we find a way to fix this crisis and quickly," Schumer said. "But Republicans have refused to move an inch, so I cannot sup…