COURTNEY SUPPORTS COMPROMISE TO REOPEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) released the statement below after voting for the Senate compromise that will end the federal government shutdown. The final vote in the House of Representatives was 266-150. The final vote in the Senate was 81-18.

"I voted yes to the Senate compromise today that modified the House bill that was sent over last week by establishing a firm timeline for negotiations on a bipartisan budget," said Courtney. "Like any compromise, I would have preferred an even shorter continuing resolution with a firm deal on lifting budgetary spending caps. However, the deal hammered out by Senators McConnell and Schumer will provide a path forward for resolving this roadblock and other essential issues that have held up the 2018 budget process for an unacceptable length of time.

"The compromise CR we passed this evening is shorter in duration than what was passed in the House on Friday. Sen. McConnell will now also be operating under a microscope to deliver on his promise to get the government out of the ‘continuing resolution Groundhog Day,' and to hold an honest and neutral debate on establishing legal protections for Dreamers. As Sen. Dick Durbin who has been fighting for Dreamers since 2001 noted, this will mark the first time in 5 1/2 years that such a process will take place in the Senate to resolve the Dreamer question.

"Finally, I believe the country is looking for more compromise, which is not easy to accomplish and at some point, it is necessary to give the negotiators the benefit of the doubt with a very short leash to follow through on their commitments."

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