Shutdown Coming To An End
The U.S. Senate voted late Sunday night to end the federal government shutdown. The vote was 60-40 with Republicans largely voting to reopen the government, joined by 8 moderate Democrats.
The Senators have been slow as molasses through the entire 40-day shutdown, drawing anger from many of the largest blocs of constituents within the Democratic Party most affected by the withdrawal of federal support. Notable rancor has arisen from federal government workers as well as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients.
Movement toward a resolution came as it appeared the shutdown might significantly disrupt Thanksgiving air traffic. The vote Sunday night dragged on for hours, because Texas Senator John Cornyn, a Republican, was absent. He finally sauntered in around 11 p.m. to finalize the deal.
The government will presumably reopen on Tuesday although it could be Wednesday if there are more snags like we saw Sunday night. On Monday, the Senate will need to send its revised bill over to the House. Then, the House will need need to sign off before it can go to President Donald Trump for his approval. In the end, the shutdown will run 41 or 42 days, the longest in history and really a dismal mark for this putrid and divided Congress.
It’s not clear yet how the Senate will address the ACA (Affordable Care Act) differences that led to the prolonged shutdown. So far, there were rumblings about sidelining the explosive ACA talks for a subsequent debate to follow in December. Here’s more from the Liberal Hivemind, covering the acrimony over the weekend.
