US Senate set to vote on plan to reopen federal government

Washington DC, Jan 21 (EFE).- The leader of the Republican majority in the United States Senate announced Sunday that the chamber would vote at noon Monday on a bill to fund the government, which remained partially closed during the weekend, after the federal budget was not approved on Jan. 19.



The senators will vote on a bill to keep the Administration open until Feb. 8, Senator Mitch McConnell said.



The proposal would give Republicans and Democrats more time to negotiate the final budget for the 2018 fiscal year, although it is not clear that the 60 votes needed to approve that bill are guaranteed.



After McConnell’s announcement, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer warned they still have to reach an agreement on the way forward that is acceptable to both parties.



Before the plenary session of the Senate, McConnell tried to convince the Democratic opposition to support the bill by promising to push the debate on legislation to provide a solution to undocumented young immigrants who came to the US as children known as “dreamers”, if no agreement is reached before Feb. 8.



The Obama-era protection plan, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), protecting these young people from deportation will be phased out by Mar. 5, 2018.



Some 800,000, deemed “non-essential”, out of a total of 3.5 million public employees are affected by the partial government shutdown and will be furloughed until Congress reaches a budget agreement.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the budget battle (all times local):

8:55 p.m.

The White House says President Donald Trump has signed a bill reopening the government, ending a 69-hour display of partisan dysfunction after Democrats reluctantly voted to temporarily pay for resumed operations.

The shutdown took effect Saturday on the one-year anniversary of the president’s inauguration, but the White House maintains that Trump came out the winner in the GOP’s standoff with Democrats.

The White House argues Democrats “caved” after Trump refused to negotiate with them on immigration policy until the government reopened. Democrats had been holding out for a firmer commitment to provide protections for some 700,000 younger immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children.

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6:30 p.m.

Prominent immigrant advocacy groups are skewering Democratic senators for relenting in a fight that linked immigration changes to continued government funding.

The youth group United We Dream says Senate Democrats who supported a deal to keep the government running through Feb. 8 are “enablers” of President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The Los Angeles-based Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights says Democrats “need to grow some courage.”

The American Civil Liberties Union says Republicans and Democrats “betrayed our American values and allowed bigotry and fear to prevail.”

America’s Voice executive director Frank Sharry says he was moved to tears of disappointment that Democrats “blinked.”

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6:15 p.m.

Congress has approved a bipartisan agreement to re-open the federal government after a three-day partial shutdown.

The House approved the bill, 266-150, hours after the Senate backed it, 81-18. President Donald Trump is expected to quickly sign the measure to fund government operations through Feb. 8.

The votes set the stage for hundreds of thousands of federal workers to return Tuesday, cutting short what could have become a messy and costly impasse.

Senate Democrats reluctantly voted in favor of the bill, relenting in return for Republican assurances that the Senate will soon take up the plight of young immigrant “dreamers” and other contentious issues. Democrats from states won by Trump in 2016 broke with progressives looking to satisfy liberals’ and immigrants’ demands.

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4:55 p.m.

Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana has voted against a bipartisan agreement to re-open the federal government after a three-day shutdown. He was the only “no” vote Monday among 10 incumbent Democrats facing re-election this year in states won by President Donald Trump in 2016.

Tester says the budget deal did not include funding for community health centers important to his rural state, nor did it add resources for border security.

Tester says that while pundits have focused on immigration, “this was always about Montana for me and I just won’t allow Washington to keep failing our state.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is blasting Tester for “engaging in political games with vital government funding” and says the two-term senator voted alongside the Senate’s most liberal Democrats.

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4:30 p.m.

The Senate has overwhelmingly approved legislation that will end the federal shutdown, almost certainly in time for the government to reopen Tuesday.

The 81-18 vote came hours after Democrats abandoned their opposition to the measure. They’d been using the shutdown in hopes of pressuring Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to cut a deal on immigration.

But many moderates from both parties were pushing party leaders to reopen federal agencies.

Democrats backed the bill after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he’d try reaching a compromise on immigration and the budget early next month. McConnell said if there was still no immigration agreement by Feb. 8, he’d immediately begin debate on the issue.

The bill will finance government through Feb. 8. House passage was expected later Monday.

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4:25 p.m.

The Senate has approved legislation to make sure federal workers get paid for the three-day government shutdown.

The unanimous voice vote sends the measure to the House, where approval is expected.

Under the law, workers aren’t paid when there’s a lapse in funding for the government — even if they’re deemed essential and have to show up to work.

Monday’s measure would fix that and make sure every federal worker would be paid during the shutdown that began Saturday.

The measure would also add retroactive pay language to a stopgap spending bill to reopen the government that passed the Senate Monday. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the legislation as soon as he receives it.

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4:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump is meeting with a pair of moderate Democratic senators at the White House Monday afternoon to discuss immigration.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders says West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Alabama Sen. Doug Jones are meeting with the president to discuss the legislative path forward after the three-day government shutdown is ended.

The red-state lawmakers both broke with the majority of their party Friday on a vote to keep the government open. But enough Democrats withheld their support from the measure in an effort to force progress on legislation to address immigration policy.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pledging to bring up immigration legislation next month if agreement isn’t reached by Feb. 8.

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3:25 p.m.

The No. 2 Senate Republican says President Donald Trump is eager to involve himself in the immigration debate and “reach a solution.”

Texas Sen. John Cornyn says he and five other GOP senators met Monday with Trump at the White House soon after Democrats halted their blockade against a bill ending the government shutdown.

Cornyn says they discussed how to address immigration issues “in creative ways.”

Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, David Perdue of Georgia, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and James Lankford of Oklahoma also met with Trump. Several of them are among the harder-line Republicans on immigration.

Democrats let the bill ending the shutdown advance after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he intended to reach a bipartisan deal on immigration and budget issues.

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2:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he is pleased that congressional Democrats “have come to their senses” and abandoned their filibuster that shut down the federal government. Trump says his administration will make a long-term immigration deal “if and only if it’s good for our country.”

Trump issued a statement Monday afternoon after roughly 25 senators from both parties helped negotiate an end to the federal government shutdown. It was read by spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders at a press briefing.

Trump said he was glad the government will be funded. He continued: “Once the government is funded, my administration will work toward solving the problem of very unfair illegal immigration.”

He added: “We will make a long term deal on immigration if and only if it’s good for our country.”

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1:55 p.m.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says Monday is “a day to celebrate” after roughly 25 senators from both parties helped negotiate an end to the government shutdown.

The Republican says the group shared a common determination to keep the government running while doing something about “Dreamers” who were brought to the country as children and are now here illegally. Collins says a group of 17 senators grew to a quarter of the Senate over the weekend.

Several Democrats who were part of that group dropped their objections Monday after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made a final offer to try to reach bipartisan solutions on immigration and other issues by early February.

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1:30 p.m.

Vice President Mike Pence is praising a Senate agreement to reopen the federal government.

Pence says before a dinner in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (neh-ten-YAH’-hoo) that the shutdown is ending “thanks to the firm stand taken by President Trump” and congressional Republicans.

Pence says Americans know a “minority” in the Senate chose to shut down the government. He said, “But the Schumer shutdown failed.” He was referring to Senate Demoratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

Pence was joined by Netanyahu for statements at the prime minister’s residence before dinner with their spouses.

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12:55 p.m.

It looks like the government shutdown will end soon.

The Senate has advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation.

The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending.

Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8.

The Senate vote was 81-18 — well above the 60 votes needed. The Senate still must vote on final passage to send the bill to the House.

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12:35 p.m.

Senate leaders have reached an agreement to reopen the government.

Democrats have yielded and ended their delaying tactics against a bill financing federal agencies through Feb. 8.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says in exchange, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to begin debating immigration by that date.

McConnell says the end to the standoff shows “the American people didn’t understand” why Democrats shut down the government because they wanted to help “illegal immigrants.”

The Senate has started a vote to advance the bill reopening government. It is expected to pass easily, and House approval is expected later.

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12:10 p.m.

Democrats are aligning behind a plan to reopen the federal government as the Senate heads toward a key vote.

Several Democratic senators predict a proposal to fund the government until Feb. 8 will move forward, overcoming a Democratic filibuster. That would clear the way for an end to the three-day shutdown.

Democrats appear to have jumped on board after two days of negotiations that ended with new reassurances from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that the Senate will consider immigration proposals in the coming weeks.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday morning she believed Democrats and Republicans now have “a path forward.”

Florida Democrat Bill Nelson is predicting a resounding yes from Democrats on the plan.

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10:35 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he hopes and intends to resolve immigration and a host of other issues by early February in an effort to come to bipartisan agreement to reopen the federal government.

Senate Democrats blocked a House-passed temporary funding bill to reopen the government through Feb. 16. A pending Senate measure would last through Feb. 8.

Opening the Senate Monday, McConnell said that if they could not find bipartisan solutions on immigration, military spending, disaster aid and other issues by the Feb. 8 deadline then he would hold a vote on those matters. Top Democrat Chuck Schumer did not appear on the floor to respond.

Several members of both parties met Monday morning to try and resolve the shutdown mess.

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10:25 a.m.

White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is defending President Donald Trump’s lack of outreach to Democratic lawmakers during the government shutdown.

Mulvaney discussed the shutdown on MSNBC Monday morning.

Trump did not speak with any Democratic senators over the weekend. Asked why, Mulvaney said Trump spoke with Democrats before the shutdown and will speak to them when it is over.

But he says: “we are not going to negotiate immigration in the middle of the shutdown.”

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9:05 a.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says if the Senate approves a temporary spending bill to reopen the government through Feb. 8, the House will approve it, too.

Senate Democrats had blocked a stopgap measure passed by the House to keep the federal bureaucracy operating through Feb. 16. But speaking on “Fox and Friends,” Ryan says the new date works for the House.

The Wisconsin Republican also says negotiations on an immigration deal are taking place in good faith. Democrats want to protect young immigrants in the country illegally and are skeptical of Republican pledges to bring up free-standing immigration legislation next month.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut says on MSNBC he has “zero confidence” that Ryan will bring legislation to shield the roughly 700,000 immigrants known as “Dreamers.”

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8:35 a.m.

President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats of prioritizing services and security for noncitizens over U.S. citizens.

He says in a tweet Monday: “Not good!”

Some government functions shut down over the weekend. Democrats are rejecting a funding bill until Republicans agree to protect 700,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

The Republican president says in a second tweet Monday that “Democrats have shut down our government in the interests of their far left base. They don’t want to do it but are powerless!”

Trump’s earlier tweet appeared to undercut comments by his legislative affairs director, Marc Short, who told CNN that the immigrants in question are law-abiding and “productive to our society.”

Short says the administration wants to “find a pathway for them” to stay in the U.S.

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7:55 a.m.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo says the government shutdown won’t affect the spy agency’s operations.

He tells “CBS This Morning” in an interview Monday: “We’re going to continue crushing our adversaries whether the government’s open or closed.”

A dispute in Congress over spending and immigration forced scores of federal government agencies and outposts to close their doors early Saturday. But many government functions, particularly those involving national security, are considered essential and won’t be affected.

Pompeo also says he doesn’t agree that the stalemate on Capitol Hill that led to the shutdown is a signal of dysfunction in Washington.

He says, “The American people are having complicated discussions about their priorities.” He says that’s entirely appropriate in a democracy.

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1:45 a.m.

The government shutdown is set to complicate the beginning of the workweek. Over the weekend, the Senate inched closer but ultimately fell short of an agreement that would have reopened federal agencies.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said negotiations were still underway late into Sunday night, with a vote to break a Democratic filibuster on a short-term funding bill scheduled for noon Monday.

Under the proposal taking shape, Democratic would agree to a three-week spending measure — until Feb. 8 — in return for a commitment from the Republican leadership in the Senate to address immigration policy and other pressing legislative matters in the coming weeks. But there is no agreement yet.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on the budget battle (all times local):

It looks like the government shutdown will end soon.

The Senate has advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation.

The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending.

Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8.

The Senate vote was 81-18 – well above the 60 votes needed. The Senate still must vote on final passage to send the bill to the House.

Senate leaders have reached an agreement to reopen the government.

Democrats have yielded and ended their delaying tactics against a bill financing federal agencies through Feb. 8.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says in exchange, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to begin debating immigration by that date.

McConnell says the end to the standoff shows “the American people didn’t understand” why Democrats shut down the government because they wanted to help “illegal immigrants.”

The Senate has started a vote to advance the bill reopening government. It is expected to pass easily, and House approval is expected later.

Democrats are aligning behind a plan to reopen the federal government as the Senate heads toward a key vote.

Several Democratic senators predict a proposal to fund the government until Feb. 8 will move forward, overcoming a Democratic filibuster. That would clear the way for an end to the three-day shutdown.

Democrats appear to have jumped on board after two days of negotiations that ended with new reassurances from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that the Senate will consider immigration proposals in the coming weeks.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday morning she believed Democrats and Republicans now have “a path forward.”

Florida Democrat Bill Nelson is predicting a resounding yes from Democrats on the plan.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.</s>It looks like the government shutdown will end soon. The Senate has advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation.

After the vote, President Trump said that he was pleased that congressional Democrats "have come to their senses" and abandoned their filibuster that shut down the federal government. Trump says his administration will make a long-term immigration deal "if and only if it's good for our country."

Trump issued a statement Monday afternoon after roughly 25 senators from both parties helped negotiate an end to the federal government shutdown. It was read by spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders at a press briefing.

Trump said he was glad the government will be funded. He continued: "Once the government is funded, my administration will work toward solving the problem of very unfair illegal immigration."

He added: "We will make a long term deal on immigration if and only if it's good for our country."

Vice President Mike Pence praised the Senate agreement while in Israel.

Pence says before a dinner in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the shutdown is ending "thanks to the firm stand taken by President Trump" and congressional Republicans.

Pence says Americans know a "minority" in the Senate chose to shut down the government. He said, "But the Schumer shutdown failed."

Pence was joined by Netanyahu for statements at the prime minister's residence before dinner with their spouses.

The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending.

Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8.

The Senate vote was 81-18 - well above the 60 votes needed. The Senate still must vote on final passage to send the bill to the House.

U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) released this following statement after the Senate voted to pass the continuing resolution:

“President Trump created a manufactured crisis when he ended Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Now, thousands are losing their jobs, their status, and their livelihoods. President Trump and Senator McConnell, when faced with the decision to bring up a long-term, bipartisan budget to address issues like providing health care for low income kids, funding our military, putting Dreamers on a pathway to citizenship and addressing the growing opioid epidemic, chose to hold Americans hostage and shutdown the government. Pitting Americans against one another is no way to govern. Senator McConnell has consistently proven that his word cannot be counted on. Dreamers cannot wait. Now, it’s more important than ever to keep pressure on Leader McConnell to pass the Dream Act. We must fight like hell to make sure that Senator McConnell keeps his promise.”

“It’s about time that Democrats came to their senses and made the decision to end their political games that led to the Schumer Shutdown. Their filibuster of legislation that would open the government, pay our troops, and fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was reckless and an example of Washington dysfunction at its worst. Because of their political posturing, Democrats sacrificed our national security, paying our troops, and care for this country’s most vulnerable children. It was particularly disappointing that for days, Senate Democrats blocked a vote on a piece of legislation that not only would have avoided a government shutdown and pay our troops, but contained many priorities – like CHIP and delaying the Cadillac tax – that they actually support. In fact, the legislation passed today is the same bill that was initially proposed last week with the exception of moving up the next deadline by eight days."</s>WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on the budget battle (all times local):

It looks like the government shutdown will end soon.

The Senate has advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation.

The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept the government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending.

Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening the government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8.

The Senate vote was 81-18 – well above the 60 votes needed. The Senate still must vote on final passage to send the bill to the House.

Senate leaders have reached an agreement to reopen the government.

Democrats have yielded and ended their delaying tactics against a bill financing federal agencies through Feb. 8.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says in exchange, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to begin debating immigration by that date.

McConnell says the end to the standoff shows “the American people didn’t understand” why Democrats shut down the government because they wanted to help “illegal immigrants.”

The Senate has started a vote to advance the bill reopening government. It is expected to pass easily, and House approval is expected later.

Democrats are aligning behind a plan to reopen the federal government as the Senate heads toward a key vote.

Several Democratic senators predict a proposal to fund the government until Feb. 8 will move forward, overcoming a Democratic filibuster. That would clear the way for an end to the three-day shutdown.

Democrats appear to have jumped on board after two days of negotiations that ended with new reassurances from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that the Senate will consider immigration proposals in the coming weeks.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday morning she believed Democrats and Republicans now have “a path forward.”

Florida Democrat Bill Nelson is predicting a resounding yes from Democrats on the plan.</s>The hard details are as-yet still hearsay, but the Senate just voted to end the filibuster on the continuing resolution sent over by the House last week and reopen the government for another 17 days.

If Trump signs it, of course. We don't really know whether he will or not.

This bill would extend CHIP for six years, taking that bargaining tool out of Republicans' hands.

Still, it's a bitter pill, given that we're in this dysfunctional loop of having Dems enable Republicans on the basis of weak and empty promises from the likes of Mitch McConnell.

Here is Chuck Schumer's floor speech explaining what will happen next.

TL:DR: 15-day CR, CHIP extension, if no DACA resolution by 2/15 a vote triggered on clean DREAM Act.

Thank you, Mr. President. Now, today, we drink seltzer.

Today we enter the third day of the Trump shutdown. The first ever real shutdown to occur when one party controls the entire legislative process. The Republican party controls the House, the Senate, the Presidency, and yet they were unable to keep the government open for the American people.

Leader McConnell knows it takes 60 votes to win passage of a spending bill, and yet he moved forward with a last-minute extension that he knew lacked the votes. Both Democrats and Republicans voted against that bill.

The reason the Republican majority had such difficulty finding consensus is they could never get a firm grip on what the President of their party wanted to do. These days you never know who to deal with when it comes to the Republicans.

The Republican leaders told me to work out a deal with the White House. The White House said work it out with Republican leaders on the Hill. Separately, President Trump turned away from not one, but two, bipartisan compromises.

Each would have averted this shutdown. Each would have led to a deal on the budget and health care and disaster aid and things like opioids and veterans and pensions and on immigration.

My recent offer to the president was a generous one. I put campaign issue on the table in exchange for DACA, and still he turned away. President Trump's unwillingness to compromise caused the Trump shutdown and brought us to this moment. The facts are well known.

Now I wish to update the Senate on where things stand after this weekend. Since our meeting in the Oval office on Friday, the president and I have not spoken.

And the White House refused to engage in negotiations over the weekend. The great deal-making president sat on the sidelines. Despite and because of this frustration, I've been having conversations with the Republican leader over the weekend about a path forward.

After several discussions, offers, counteroffers, 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 the 8th, the senate will immediately proceed to consideration of legislation dealing with DACA.

The process will be neutral and fair to all sides.

We expect that a bipartisan bill on DACA will receive fair consideration and an up or down vote on the floor. Now, it's a shame, Mr. President, that the American people and the Senate have had to endure such hand-wringing, finger-pointing stridency to reach a guarantee that we will likely address this urgent issue.

It is something the majority could have avoided entirely, a concern the president could have obviates if he were only willing to answer.

While this procedure will not satisfy everyone on both sides, it's a way forward. I'm confident that we can get the 60 votes in the senate for a DACA bill. And now there is a real pathway to get a bill on the floor and through the Senate.

It is a good solution, and I will vote for it. I'm incredibly grateful to the bipartisan group that has come together in recent days to renew the immigration debate with a sense of urgency.

There you are. I believe that this group has the potential to return the senate to the kind of place it should be on the issue of immigration, a place for bipartisanship, a place for action, a place for achievement. The bipartisan group, in a very fine way, filled the glaring absence of the president in these talks.

I expect the majority leader to fulfill his commitment to the Senate, to me and to the bipartisan group and abide by this agreement. If he does not, of course, and I expect he will, he will have breached the trust of not only the Democratic Senators but members of his own party as well.

Through these complicated and lengthy negotiations, Democrats have always sought to be reasonable, to act in good faith and get something real done. Despite all of our entreaties, the president was obstinate.

The Senate has muddled along too long from our most impressive challenges until the last moment. That ends today. The Republican majority now has 17 days to prevent the Dreamers from being deported.

Mr. President, we have a way to address the fate of the Dreamers. Starting right now, instead of waiting until March, with the minority and the moderate middle empowered to bring a bill to the floor instead of being held by the most strident, anti-immigration voices in the Republican caucus.

And we, on our side of the aisle, will continue to fight as strongly as we can for the Dreamers in the weeks ahead. I say to all Americans, urge your senators to vote yes on the bipartisan compromise when it comes forward.

Write, tweet, e-mail, phone, visit, do everything you can so we can finally pass this bill.

In a few hours, the government will reopen. We have a lot to do. The issue of the Dreamers demands resolution. A budget must be written. Health care has to be addressed. Relief provided to disaster-stricken parts of our country. Pensions and opioids, veterans, childcare. All have to be taken care of.

The Trump shutdown will soon end. But the work must go on. And it will. Thank you and I yield the floor.</s>It looks like the government shutdown will end soon. The Senate has advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation.

The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending.

Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8.

The Senate vote was 81-18 - well above the 60 votes needed. The Senate still must vote on final passage to send the bill to the House.</s>Senate leaders have reached an agreement to reopen the government. Democrats have yielded and ended their delaying tactics against a bill financing federal agencies through February 8.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in exchange, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to begin debating immigration by that date.

The Senate has started a vote to advance the bill reopening the government.

It is expected to pass easily, and House approval is expected later.</s>The Senate overwhelmingly advanced a three-week spending bill Monday afternoon that would reopen the government. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote that he had reached a deal with Republican leaders and that Democrats would vote in favor of the bill.

Senators voted 81-18 to end debate and move to a vote on final passage. If it's approved, the House will have to vote on the proposal. Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, signaled Sunday that the House would pass the bill.

Schumer said ahead of the procedural vote at noon that "we will vote today to reopen the government to continue negotiating" a global agreement with the commitment from GOP leaders that if there isn't a deal by the Feb. 8 deadline, the Senate will immediately proceed to legislation dealing with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Schumer said it will be "neutral and fair to all sides" that will get an up or down vote on the floor.

The government shutdown has remained in effect Monday, after senators failed to come to an agreement to end it late Sunday night. Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell attempted to schedule a vote Sunday night that would end the shutdown, but Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer objected.

McConnell had promised that if by Feb. 8, there is no agreement on immigration, the Senate would address DACA and border security, as well as increased defense spending. "Let's step back from the brink" and stop victimizing the American people and get back to work, McConnell argued.

House and Senate lawmakers met throughout the day Sunday to end the government shutdown as the impasse continued into the second day, with both chambers hoping to strike a deal on spending and immigration that would reopen federal agencies ahead of the work week.

Sunday morning, the fragile outlines of a potential deal seemed to be taking shape. On CBS News' "Face the Nation," House Speaker Paul Ryan said the lower chamber has agreed to accept a short-term deal that would fund the government through Feb. 8 if the Senate is able to pass such a bill.

On Saturday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina suggested the bill that would fund the government in exchange for a commitment to move onto immigration after Feb. 8.

"After extensive discussions with Senators, on both sides of the aisle, I believe such a proposal would pass if it was understood that after February 8, the Senate would move to an immigration debate with an open amendment process if no agreement has been reached with the White House and House of Representatives," Graham said in a statement Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday, Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement as federal agencies began implementing shutdown procedures. McConnell told reporters that lawmakers would be "right back at it" for "as long as it takes."

"We will keep at this until Democrats end their extraordinary filibuster of government funding and children's healthcare, and allow a bipartisan majority of Senators to reopen the federal government for all Americans and get Congress back on track," McConnell said Saturday on the Senate floor. Senate Democrats say they will not support a funding resolution that does not include protections for immigrants brought to the U.S. as children under the DACA program and spending for disaster relief.</s>A bipartisan group of negotiators has reached across the aisle to finalise an agreement to reopen the US federal government almost 60 hours after it first shut down. On Monday afternoon, the Senate passed a short-term spending bill after voting to end debates by a vote of 81-18, with the measure sent to the President for his signature shortly thereafter, laying the groundwork for the government's reopening by Monday evening. The bill was set to fund the government until 8 February and ...
The United States Senate reaches an agreement to reopen federal agencies through to February 8. A bill is working its way through the legislative process. The first Senate vote was 81–18.