Democrats mull keeping Senate in session overnight [View all]

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill




BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 01/20/18 04:47 PM EST

A group of Senate Democrats are talking about forcing the Senate to stay in session overnight to protest Republican opposition to a bipartisan immigration deal.

Democratic senators say they may block a motion to adjourn the chamber on Saturday and require the Senate to stay in session until Sunday morning so they can take turns talking about the plight of "Dreamers," immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, on the floor.

The talk-a-thon would likely be led by Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), a Democrat considered a top-tier contender for president in 2020, with expected support from Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and other lawmakers who have supported similar efforts in the past.

Democratic lawmakers said they did not think a deal to end the shutdown would be reached before the end of the day Saturday.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/369947-democrats-mull-keeping-senate-in-session-overnight

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Senate Dems: Trump making negotiations 'impossible'

BY JORDAIN CARNEY - 01/20/18 04:49 PM EST

Senate Democrats knocked President Trump a day into the government shutdown, saying his penchant for changing his mind is undercutting the ability to get a deal.

"Let's face it. This president at this point is impossible to negotiate with. It's impossible," Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said. He added that the Senate couldn't "wait for an approval stamp" from the president.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) also questioned "why should we trust him" if the president could change his mind on a myriad of outstanding issues that Congress needs to be resolved. "If we can't take the word of the president when we know he is only one tweet away from changing his mind, why should we trust him when he says he will take care of our veterans or get serious about the opioid epidemic?" he asked.

He added that the Senate is "spinning our wheels in the Trump shutdown."

more
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/369948-senate-dems-trump-making-negotiations-impossible