The three-day government shutdown may be ending soon. A key procedural vote easily cleared a 60-vote threshold in the Senate today. The stage is now set for a final vote on a Republican proposal to extend government funding until February 8th. That became possible when Democrats accepted a commitment from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to take up immigration reform soon. That will include possible longterm protections for Dreamers, hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
Once a final Senate vote is passed, it must also clear the House and be signed by President Trump. The government ran out of money early Saturday morning. Another extension of funding would be the fourth continuing resolution, or CR, since September. As February 8th nears, lawmakers will be under growing pressure to approve a longterm budget. Military leaders have complained that the Pentagon needs longterm spending certainty for appropriate planning and readiness.
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