A group of House Democrats marched onto the Senate floor Thursday to pressure Republicans to end the partial government shutdown that is stretching into its second month.
House Democrats who joined their Senate colleagues included Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and John Lewis of Georgia.
They entered as the Senate started voting on two bills to reopen the government. The first bill included $5.7 billion in funding for President Trump’s border wall and extends protections to some immigrants who were brought to the country illegally by their parents.
But the presence of House Democrats did little to change the outcome, as most Republicans backed the Trump plan in a 50-47 vote. Still, that vote killed the bill, because 60 votes were needed to advance it.
The Senate is also voting on a three-week continuing resolution that would fund the government through Feb. 8, which is also expected to fall short of the 60-vote threshold.
The House has already voted on 10 bills to end the shutdown. On Wednesday, it passed Democratic-backed legislation that would fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year.
Ten Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues in voting for the measure. Ocasio-Cortez was the only Democrat to vote against it, citing concerns over the bill’s funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
