Senator Collins Votes Twice to Reopen Government, Joins Bipartisan Group of Colleagues Urging Compromise
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Washington, D.C. – Following votes on two proposals to reopen the government today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) joined a bipartisan group of 17 Senators speaking on the Senate floor regarding the urgent need for all sides to come together to end the partial government shutdown. Senator Collins, whose top priority is to reopen the government, voted this afternoon in support of both the Republicans’ and Democrats’ proposals to end the shutdown.
“This shutdown, the longest in our history, must come to an end. It has already caused far too much harm to 800,000 dedicated federal employees and their families who are struggling to pay bills without paychecks and are on the verge of missing yet another paycheck,” said Senator Collins on the Senate floor. “It has hurt the American people who need to interact with federal agencies, including seniors, low-income families, and people with disabilities who worry about their housing assistance. It’s damaging our economy, causing a drop in consumer confidence and consumer spending. Ironically, shutdowns always end up costing the government more money than if we had operated as we should.”
“I see a glimmer of hope here. We at least have had two votes today on two different plans…I supported both plans because my priority is to reopen government,” Senator Collins continued. “But where I am really optimistic is the fact that more than a dozen Senators are on the floor, equally divided between the two parties and willing to compromise. Compromise is not a dirty word. It is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength. Let us compromise to reopen government, address border security, and get on with the business of this country.”
Senator Collins was joined by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chris Coons (D-DE), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Angus King (I-ME), Rob Portman (R-OH), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Martha McSally (R-AZ) on the Senate floor today.
The colloquy immediately followed two votes that the Senate held on proposals to reopen the government:
- The first—a Republican plan to reopen government for the remainder of the fiscal year, strengthen border security, provide disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, and change immigration rules—failed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to advance (50-47).
- The second—a Democratic plan to reopen government until February 8th and provide disaster relief—also failed to reach the required 60-vote threshold (52-44)
Senator Collins voted in support of both proposals.
Yesterday, Senator Collins spoke from the Senate floor about the harm the shutdown is causing and her efforts to mitigate the impacts. She urged her colleagues to join her in working to reopen government as quickly as possible.
