US Shutdown: Senate Rejects Bills To Reopen Government

The US Senate has rejected two bills to end the government shutdown, leaving no end in sight to the record-breaking closure of federal agencies. The Republican legislation garnered 50 votes with 47 against, with 52-44 for the Democratic bill. Both measures needed 60 votes to pass.

Meanwhile, 800,000 federal workers who are struggling to cover their bills will miss another payday on Friday. At 34 days with no end in sight, this is the longest shutdown in US history.

Six Republican defectors – including former White House candidate and Utah Senator Mitt Romney – voted for the Democratic bill. It would have reopened the government until February 8.

One conservative Democrat backed the Republican measure, which would have provided the $5.7 billion that President Donald Trump wants to build a southern border wall. It would also have temporarily shielded from deportation some US residents who entered the country without documentation as children.

Afterwards, Senate leaders from both parties briefly discussed a new proposal to reopen federal agencies for three weeks. Trump was noncommittal, telling reporters at the White House that he would only sign a bill if it included a “down payment” on a border barrier.

The Democratic leader of the US House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said the Republican president’s request was not reasonable. The political imbroglio frayed tempers on the Senate floor on Thursday.

Before voting began, Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, shouted at Texas Republican Ted Cruz, accusing him of shedding “crocodile tears” over unpaid workers while supporting the president’s plan for “a medieval barrier”.

Meanwhile, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross questioned why unpaid civil servants have been visiting food banks, saying they should just take out a bank loan. Speaker Pelosi accused Ross, multi-millionaire, of a “‘let them eat cake’ kind of attitude”.

Ahead of the vote, an Associated Press opinion poll reported that the shutdown had negatively impacted Trump’s popularity. Just 34% of Americans in the survey supported Trump overall – down from 42% a month earlier. But his approval among Republican voters was close to 80%.