Republican Sen. Cory Gardner to vote for Democratic bill to end shutdown
Republican Sen. Cory Gardner to vote for Democratic bill to end shutdown, report says
William Cummings, USA TODAYPublished 10:11 a.m. ET Jan. 24, 2019 | Updated 11:03 a.m. ET Jan. 24, 2019
Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner intends to vote for a Democratic spending bill that would temporarily reopen the government without providing funds for the construction of a barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a report from The Denver Post.
The Senate plans to vote on two bills Thursday to fully fund the federal government and end the ongoing partial shutdown. The first, which is backed by Republicans, is modeled on the proposals President Donald Trump outlined in a speech Saturday and would include the $5.7 billion he requested for a border wall. The second bill, backed by the Democrats, would fund the government until Feb. 8, but denies the president the money for a border barrier.
Both measures are expected to fall short of the 60 votes needed to secure a filibuster-proof majority.
Gardner's spokesman told the Post that the senator intends to vote for both packages. The senator's office did not immediately return a request for comment from USA TODAY.
The partial shutdown, now in its 34th day, is the longest in U.S. history, affecting about a quarter of the federal government and 800,000 workers. It was sparked by congressional Democrats' refusal to grant Trump his requested $5.7 billion toward the construction of the wall he promised during the 2016 campaign.
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Gardner, who is considered one of the most vulnerable Senate Republicans up for re-election in 2020, called for an end to the shutdown at the beginning of the month, even if it meant voting for legislation that did not include money for a border wall.
"As I said on the night the partial government shutdown began, I do not think shutting down the government is ever the right answer," Gardner said on Jan. 3, according to the Post. "Congress needs to take further action on border security, but that work should be done when the government is fully open."
The Democrat-controlled House has approved measures to reopen the government, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has so far not allowed those bills to come to the Senate floor for a vote. Thursday's votes will mark the first time since just before Christmas that the Senate has voted on legislation to end the shutdown.
Gardner has announced he would propose a bill Thursday to approve enough money for the government to cover the payroll for its employees without fully reopening.
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"We must reopen the government, and I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a solution," Gardner said in a statement Wednesday. "In the interim, our federal workers should not be deprived of their paychecks.
My legislation provides peace of mind for our 800,000 government employees who are struggling to make ends meet."
Trump, who previously insisted that Mexico would pay for the wall, has stressed the need for a barrier to curtail illegal immigration and the crime he says comes with it. Still, while he and his administration characterize the situation at the border as a "humanitarian crisis," the number of migrants being caught entering illegally along the southern border remains at historic lows.
The president has backed off his demand for a 30-foot tall concrete wall covering 1,000 miles of border and now is asking for more of the steel bollard fencing currently being used in some places on the border (although he still calls it a wall).
From concrete wall to steel fences: A timeline of Trump's evolving border barrier concept
Key shutdown question: How much border wall does $5.7 billion buy?
But Democrats argue a barrier is an ineffective use of resources and that there are better ways to improve border security. Some Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have derided it as an "immoral" symbol of racism and xenophobia.
Democrats insist the government must be reopened before negotiations on funding for border security can go forward. The bill to reopen the government until Feb. 8 aims to provide enough time to reach a compromise on immigration and border security.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...es/2665855002/
