WASHINGTON – Less than 24 hours after U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) led a bipartisan group of 17 Senators in an hour-long colloquy about reopening government by supporting a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR), President Trump and Senate leadership have endorsed such a plan for good faith negotiations on border security only after the government reopens.  

“Last night, we brought a large, bipartisan group of senators together who all agreed that too many critical functions of our government have been disrupted, and too many workers and their families – employees and contractors – have been hurt by this needless shutdown. Today, we are on our way to quickly reopening the federal government. 

“I was proud to work with Democratic and Republican colleagues to find a path forward. I applaud each member’s willingness to work together to find a lasting compromise that will return stability and productivity to the operations of our government. We have all pledged to engage in good faith negotiations on border security, once the government reopens,” Senator Cardin said.

“With passage of this CR, federal workers and contractors who have been working through tremendous hardship, can finally reclaim their lives and get back to their work on behalf of the American people. I thank all of those who worked without pay for their dedication and for those who were needlessly locked out of their jobs on furlough, we hope you will come back to your job with the knowledge that the American people now have a better understanding of the critical role you play in our communities and across the country.”

Identical in effect to the bipartisan amendment Senator Cardin and colleagues introduced Thursday, the measure to be passed by the Senate Friday will include a CR through February 15, contains no new funding for a border wall, and guarantees back pay for federal workers. Passage should allow an immediate end to the government shutdown, ensuring that federal agencies will reopen and federal employees will be paid, while reducing the pressure on the border security negotiations.