By Erik Wasson and Anna EdgertonThe new House Democratic majority voted Thursday to end partial government shutdown but brought Congress no closer to resolving impasse over President Donald Trumps demand to pay for a border wall.The president and Senate Republicans oppose Democrats plan, and next effort to reopen closed agencies will come when leaders of both parties meet with Trump at White House Friday morning.Republican Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina, a close confidant of Trump and chairman of conservative House Freedom Caucus, predicted that shutdown would last for months.The impasse is real and it is deep, Meadows said in an interview.The House votes came hours after opening of 116th Congress and election of Nancy Pelosi in a triumphant return as House speaker, only woman to serve in position.
She first served as speaker from 2007 to 2011.The House voted 239-192 to pass first government spending bill, H.J.
Res.
1, which would reopen Department of Homeland Security through Feb.
8 to allow time for continued talks on border wall.
The chamber then passed a second measure, H.R.
21, which would open other eight shuttered cabinet departments through September, on a 241-190 vote.Standing By TrumpThe votes were along party lines as almost all House Republicans stood by Trump, whose budget office threatened a veto of bills if he doesnt get $5 billion he is seeking for a wall at border with Mexico.But Democrats contended GOP should back spending measures, because Republican-controlled Senate or its committees voted overwhelmingly to pass them before president reversed course and announced his opposition in December to any plan that lacked border wall funds.We are sending them back exactly, word for word, what they have passed, Pelosi of California told reporters shortly before vote.
The president cannot hold public employees hostage because he wants to have a wall that is not effective.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, said Thursday bills separate wall fight from government shutdown -- you dont have to have one, even if you cant resolve other.These are not Democratic bills; they were crafted in a bipartisan way by a Republican-controlled Senate Appropriations committee and a Republican-controlled Senate, Schumer said.The second measure contains bipartisan Senate spending bills for departments of Treasury, Commerce, Justice, Agriculture, State, Interior, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
It also would fund dozens of related agencies including Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration.Political TheaterSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday House votes were political theater, not productive lawmaking.
The Kentucky Republican said his chamber wont take up spending bills because they dont contain spending increases for border security.As both sides continued to harden their positions, Trump made a surprise appearance Thursday in White House briefing room with border patrol agents to make his case.Without a wall you cannot have border security, Trump told reporters.
It wont work.
He left without taking questions.Vice President Mike Pence offered Democrats a compromise on Dec.
22, first day of shutdown, in which Trump would accept $2.5 billion for border security.
Trump later disavowed offer, saying he needed $5.6 billion for a wall.Senate Democrats in August backed $1.6 billion for border security, though they now say theyre unwilling to provide any more than $1.3 billion approved last year for fencing.House progressives urged Pelosi not to provide any money for wall.We should not give in to extortion, said Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin, whose district contains thousands of federal workers.
We have sent back most reasonable and mild proposal to reopen government and Republicans should accept it, he said.Shutdown EffectsFederal workers are bearing brunt of shutdowns effects.
More than 450,000 essential employees are working without pay, including law enforcement, border patrol agents and airport screeners.
These workers received paychecks at end of December but will miss their next checks on Jan.
11 unless agencies reopen.
That could create a deadline for talks next week.Another 380,000 employees have been furloughed without pay.For public, visible signs of shutdown have come in form of overflowing trash at national parks, closed museums in Washington, and a lack of guidance from Internal Revenue Service as first tax filing season begins under new tax code enacted in 2017.
Financial markets are flying blind as Commerce and Agriculture departments suspended regular reports.The partial shutdown will cut United States economic output by about 0.1 percent every two weeks, said Kevin Hassett, chairman of White House Council of Economic Advisers.Earlier Thursday, House voted 234-197 to pass part of its package of legislative rules -- normally a routine matter, but a few Democratic progressives decided to oppose their own partys rules.
Representatives Ro Khanna of California and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said package was flawed because it contains a pay as you go austerity provision supported by Democratic centrists.
Only Democrat Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii joined them in voting against rules.