US Senate leaders have agreed to vote Thursday on competing proposals to end a government shutdown now in its second month, but the chances are slim that either will reopen federal agencies.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and top Democrat Chuck Schumer announced an agreement on the Senate floor Tuesday for a pair of test votes.
The first would be a procedural step on a measure that funds all shuttered branches of government through September, and includes President Donald Trump’s demand for border wall funding and his proposal on immigration policy.
A second vote would be on a stop-gap measure that funds government until February 8, to allow for debate over border security and immigration, while also letting Trump’s upcoming State of the Union address before Congress proceed. Read more