Government shutdown ending, UPDATE with Newhouse, Reichert statements

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress is speeding toward reopening the government, as Senate Democrats dropped their objections to a temporary funding bill. That was in return for assurances from Republicans leaders that they will soon take up immigration and other contentious issues. The Senate voted 81-to-18 on Monday to break a Democratic filibuster and the send the measure to the House, where quick approval was expected.

Republicans tried to make Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer the face of the government shutdown. Now, he's becoming the face of the Democratic retreat. For two days, Schumer succeeded in keeping his party unified, but as the shutdown moved into its third day, the New York Democrat and his party buckled as several Democrats backed a deal to end the shutdown. Schumer quickly became a punching bag for the right and left.

4th District Rep. Dan Newhouse spoke on the House floor Saturday.

This afternoon, Congressman Newhouse issued the following statement after the Continuing Resolution was passed;

“Approving this Continuing Resolution reopens the federal government and allows our men and women in uniform to receive their paychecks on time,” said Rep. Newhouse. “This legislation fully funds the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)—which provides health care to more than 60,000 children in Washington state—for six years, the longest reauthorization in CHIP’s history. The fruitless attempt to shut down the government failed to make progress on a negotiated solution for DACA, and I worry it may have in fact harmed progress. Now that Democrats have joined Republicans to fund the federal government, Congress can get back to negotiating and garnering support for a legislative solution, requested by the President, which gives certainty to DACA beneficiaries and provides border security.”

After a 3-day lapse in government funding over the weekend, the approval extends government appropriations through February 8, 2018.

Congressman Dave Reichert has also commented;

"I am glad we were able to come together to end this shutdown, but it never should have come to this point. The American people deserve better than to worry about whether they will receive a paycheck or be able to receive important government services," said Rep. Reichert. "In the upcoming weeks, there is still a lot of work to be done on a longer-term spending bill and certainty for our Dreamers. I am committed to finding a permanent solution for our Dreamers, but we must fund essential government programs and keep Americans working as we move to resolve these issues."

As the federal government shutdown wound down, President Donald Trump remained out of sight. Though Trump told allies over the weekend that he hated being on the sidelines, he followed the recommendations of his staff and key congressional Republicans and removed himself from the negotiations. He kept his thoughts limited to a few Twitter bursts that bashed Democrats.