President Donald Trump officially ended the government shutdown after signing into law a bill that ended a 3-day closure of the federal government. Following the Senate's agreement, Trump released a statement saying he was pleased with Democrats and happy they could come to their senses.
CBS News reported that Trump promised to work on the immigration matter, once the government is funded. But he said he would only make a deal that is good for the country. Trump is calling the end of the government shutdown, a victory while Democrats are declaring a victory as well.
The spending plan is only for three weeks and gives the Democrats the opportunity to work on a solution to the issue of DACA.
How long will the government stay open?
If Congress fails to reach an agreement by Feb 8., they could face another government shutdown. The shutdown occurred just ten months before the ever important midterm elections. Senator Charles Schumer has said that the Republicans now have 17 days to stop the DREAMers from being deported. The deal reached included a promise by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to work toward a compromise on immigration reform, border security, and an even broader budget outline. The Senate voted 81-18, while the House approved their version 266-150.
The legislation was being opposed by Democrats because it did not offer any provisions for immigrants who were protected under Obama's DACA program. President Trump announced in September that he was ending the program, claiming that Obama did not have the authority to give the DACA immigrants legal status.
Both sides are pointing fingers
Since the end of the government shutdown, Senator Schumer has remained out of the spotlight. The spending bill approved and signed by Trump also extends the low-income health insurance program for children, for another six years and ends some taxes that were part of the Affordable Care Act. It's unclear how much of an impact this shutdown will have in this year's elections.
"He's been an outlier for years." In the government shutdown blame game, some lawmakers were quick to single out Stephen Miller, a 32-year-old White House aide with significant influence in shaping U.S. immigration policy: https://t.co/GHqBT66uvp pic.twitter.com/wdhbwUAnd0
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 23, 2018
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders says that the White House is wanting a permanent solution to the DACA program but also the administration doesn't want to find themselves in the same battle in the next few years. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the shutdown inflicted unnecessary costs on the country.
As both parties were working on negotiating a deal, President Trump called on the Republican Senate to abolish the filibuster rule.
Several key Democrats voted against the deal and included many who are expected to run in 2020 including Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand. The decision by Democrats to give in angered many immigration activists and others from the liberal base.
