Government reopens, shutdown clock resets

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump signed a short-term spending bill Monday night to fund the government through Feb 8.—but the partisan fight continues on Capitol Hill. Although federal employees returned to work Tuesday morning, Congress is headed into another government shutdown fight in a few weeks, with many questions about the promised immigration package still unanswered. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., promised Democrats he would bring an immigration bill to the floor for a vote, but he did not outline specifics. Democrats want to vote on a bipartisan bill sponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that would give participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program a pathway to permanent status. The president already rejected the bill, saying it didn’t have enough funding for border security. Meanwhile, Republicans in the House have not committed to vote on any immigration bill, let alone one Democrats in the Senate would endorse. Conservative hardliners are gathering support for an immigration bill introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., that would curb immigration levels to their lowest point since the 1920s. “Nobody knows for sure that the Republicans & Democrats will be able to reach a deal on DACA by February 8, but everyone will be trying,” Trump tweeted. “The Dems have just learned that a Shutdown is not the answer!”