Government Reopens For Business, But Immigration Fight Still Looms

The federal government is back open for business today, but the immigration fight that brought it to a three-day shutdown is far from over.

On Monday, Congress passed a stopgap spending bill that funds the government through Feb. 8, with Democrats crossing over to back the measure in exchange for assurances that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would bring an immigration bill to the floor. McConnell said he would pursue legislation to address the legal status of roughly 700,000 immigrants protected by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which will expire in March, as well as border security and other issues.

Congress will also need to agree on a long-term funding plan in that time, and finding a bipartisan solution on immigration in the 16 days until the next deadline is far from easy.

https://www.npr.org/2018/01/23/579837013/government-reopens-for-business-but-immigration-fight-still-looms