Senate Passes Bill To Reopen Government Through Mid-February

The Senate has passed a bill to fund the government through mid-February, just hours after President Trump relented on his demand for border wall money as part of a deal.

The Senate cleared the bill by voice vote with no objections. That vote came just one day after most Republican senators voted against an almost identical bill that Trump had opposed.

The bill will get a similar rush vote in the House Friday evening, and Trump is expected to sign it sometime shortly after that. There’s never a guarantee the President will follow through on his promises, but it appears that he’s likely to do so in this case.

Senate leaders also picked the members who will attempt to negotiate a broader deal on immigration – and Republicans decided to pick a group of reasonable dealmakers rather than immigration hardliners. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and fellow committee members Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Hoeven (R-ND) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), were picked for the bipartisan, bicameral negotiations. Democrats picked their top three members on the committee as well: Sens. Pat Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jon Tester (D-MT).