WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman issued the following statement after the Senate failed to move forward with debate on the president’s plan to strengthen the government and reopen the government:
“As predicted, both bills failed today, and now it’s time to coalesce around a third way that has support from some Republicans and some Democrats and that I have been advocating for weeks. It would reopen government in the short term with the commitment to a border security plan that can be enacted in the next few weeks.
“I supported the first bill put forward today as a constructive compromise offered by the president to strengthen our border security, provide certainty to DACA recipients and others, and immediately reopen the entire federal government permanently. I’m disappointed it failed to get the necessary votes. I appreciate that Senator Schumer also offered his short-term proposal to reopen government for two weeks, but it was not a compromise and contained provisions that guaranteed a presidential veto, including prohibiting any of the funds from being used to make our borders more secure with new fencing and barriers. It’s time to get past the political posturing and come together to resolve this impasse.
“For the last few weeks, I’ve been working with Democrats and Republicans alike to find a path forward, and I’ve proposed responsible solutions to improve our border security, reopen the government and prevent these types of shutdowns in the future. There is a third way forward that would strengthen our border security and address immigration issues like DACA and TPS. We’re not that far apart on these issues. I will continue to work with my colleagues and my hope is that we can now proceed to an approach that will lead to a successful outcome that will reopen government and ensure better border security.”
