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“Schumer Says ‘A Win for American People’ After Senate Passes Bill

The longest partial government shutdown in history came to an end recently, with an historic bipartisan cooperation coming out of the Senate to avert an economic crisis and to help the millions of federal workers who have gone uncared for for over a month. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) made the announcement saying, “We understand the pain that hundreds of thousands of federal employees have gone through due to the longest government shutdown in American history, caused by President Trump’s demands for a border wall. I am proud to announce that the Senate has passed a bipartisan bill that will fund the government for the next three weeks and provide pay for all of the federal workers who have been affected.” This deal was one of the most momentous in recent memory, with the Senate passing a bipartisan bill that has been able to push President Trump’s wall into the background and provide more time for negotiations on border security measures that could work with both sides. Schumer even made a point to thank House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Rand Paul (R-KY) for acting as bridge builders and entering into negotiations at the behest of their constituents. Despite expressing his gratitude to those members, Schumer concluded his speech with a reminder that the values of compromise and bi-partisanship often forgotten in Washington DC still stand in this nation: “Tonight, the American people can rest easy knowing that the government is funded for three weeks and federal workers will be paid, but this is only a temporary reprieve. Now, it’s time for Democrats and Republicans to come together and continue our efforts to protect our nation, pass comprehensive immigration reform, and pass a budget that is good for the American people. We owe it to them.” The full Senate vote on the bill to avert the government shutdown passed 81-18, and was sent to President Trump for signature the same evening. This is a momentous achievement in congressional history, a sign that there are members who are able to work together in a bipartisan fashion and find solutions to the nation’s most pressing problems. As Senate Minority Leader Schumer declared, as one nation, “We are stronger when we come together, and this vote proves it.”