3 hours ago

Senate Approves Bill To Reopen Federal Government

WASHINGTON ― The U.S. Senate on Monday passed legislation to fund the government after a 41-day standoff over health care, sending the bill to the Republican-controlled House, which is expected to quickly approve it and end the government shutdown later this week.

The vote was 60-40, with 7 Democrats and one independent senator joining Republicans in support of the measure.

The impasse ended after a group of moderate Senate Democrats cut a deal with Republicans to fund the government without key demands of their party, including an extension of enhanced subsidies for people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act that are due to expire next year. Republicans agreed only to hold a vote on extending the tax credits next month, but that’s expected to fail due to widespread GOP opposition to the program.

Politics: An Angry Trump Threatens To ‘Dock’ Air Traffic Controllers’ Pay

Proponents of the deal argued it’s still a win for Democrats since Republicans previously weren’t willing to hold any votes on restoring ACA subsidies. Critics slammed it as a meaningless gesture that’s doomed to fail.

Monday’s vote on the deal to reopen the government was briefly stalled by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who opposed a measure in the bill that would outlaw certain synthetic cannabinoid products derived from hemp. Paul said the provision will destroy the hemp industry, which is active in his state of Kentucky, and demanded a vote to strip it out of the bill. But the Senate rejected it by a wide bipartisan margin.

Republicans also blocked, via a straight party-line vote, a last-ditch effort by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) to include in the bill a one-year extension of enhanced ACA subsidies.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she couldn’t support extending the subsidies without reforms, such as more stringent income limits on who could qualify. She also said Republicans were working with Democrats to craft a compromise solution.

“So it’s just not true that we are ignoring this issue,” Collins said in a speech on the Senate floor, seeking to rebut coming Democratic attacks over health care.

“Susan Collins just voted against extending the ACA subsidies,” Mills said in a post online. “This vote is a betrayal of the Maine people, and it will send health care costs through the roof. While I have fought to expand health care and to make it more affordable, Senator Collins and Republicans in Washington are doing the opposite.”