Congressman Cohen Again Votes to Re-Open Government

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today voted for, and the House passed, a ninth and tenth bill to re-open the federal government agencies closed by the Trump Shutdown. The first bill, H. J. Res. 28, would provide stopgap funding through February 28, 2019. The second bill, H.R. 648, would provide funding for shuttered federal departments, other than the Department of Homeland Security, through the federal fiscal year which ends September 30, 2019. Both were based on compromises that had previously gained bipartisan support.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

"Ten times since the new Congress convened on January 3, the House has voted on bills to re-open the government. If Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans wanted to end this 33-day shutdown, they would take up these measures and put federal employees back to work and pay those who have gone without pay for more than a month. It is beyond time to end the Trump Shutdown."

H.R. 648 contains $1.6 billion for enhanced border security, including $563.4 million for new immigration judges and $524.2 million for improvements to ports of entry.