WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate voted on two competing proposals to end the Trump shutdown and reopen the federal government.  Both measures required 60 votes to advance, and neither proposal garnered enough for passage.

President Trump’s bill containing billions to prioritize building a wall over more effective border security enforcement policies garnered just 50 votes.  U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) opposed that bill.

A continuing resolution to temporarily fund and immediately re-open government without the border wall funding garnered 52 votes.  Senator Reed voted in favor of that bill, as did six Republican Senators: Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Susan Collins (R-ME), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mitt Romney (R-UT).

After the vote, Senator Reed issued the following statement:

“It’s been more than month since President Trump followed through on his threat to shut down federal agencies in a bid to fund his expensive and ineffective border wall.  His shutdown is wasting billions, undermining public safety, halting needed safety inspections, and curtailing the FBI’s ability to investigate terrorism and crime.  With 800,000 federal workers about to lose another paycheck, the President needs to end this shutdown.

“President Trump wants Congress to irresponsibly spend billions in taxpayer dollars on his campaign slogan, despite the fact that experts agree it won’t achieve the desired outcome.  The President’s petulant behavior of keeping the government shut down is just plain bad policy.  And each and every day more Republicans in the Senate and the House are joining Democrats in saying ‘enough!’.  They understand we can open the government and still work on border security.

“I am hopeful that even more responsible Republicans, like those who voted with Democrats today, will stand up for the American people, end the shutdown, and have a real debate about effective ways to improve border security beyond a narcissistic, wasteful wall of shame.”