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Congress Votes to Reopen Government, Trump Signs Bill

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President Donald Trump has signed the bipartisan measure designed to fund government operations through Feb. 8., according to the White House. 

Congress voted to approve a bipartisan agreement Monday night to reopen the federal government as the House followed the Senate in approving the bill ending a three-day partial shutdown. 

The House vote was 266-150, hours after the Senate backed it, 81-18. 

The vote means hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be back on the job Tuesday. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders predicted that operations would return to normal by Tuesday morning.
  
Senate Democrats reluctantly voted in favor of the bill, relenting in return for Republican assurances that the Senate will soon take up the plight of young immigrant "dreamers" and other contentious issues. Democrats from states won by Trump in 2016 broke with progressives looking to satisfy liberals' and immigrants' demands.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell's commitment to quickly tackle the issue of the "dreamers" was contingent on Democrats providing enough votes now for a stopgap spending funding measure lasting a little less than three weeks. Sixty votes were needed to end the Democrats' filibuster, and the party's senators provided 33 of the 81 the measure got. Eighteen senators, including members of both parties, were opposed.

The Senate advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation.

"We always knew there was a pathway forward," said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept the government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending.
 
Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening the government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8.

"In the end, I give our leaders a lot of credit for listening to the ideas we put forward and for showing some flexibility," said Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)

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