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Delaware lawmakers react to end of government shutdown

Delaware Public Media

Delaware’s Congressional delegation is weighing in on President Trump’s announcement he’s ready to sign a temporary deal to reopen the federal government.

 

Sen. Tom Carper says it's "good news" the federal government will reopen. But he maintains the shutdown was "unnecessary" and this deal is the same one passed by the Senate in December before shutdown.

 

The stopgap funding measure would reopen federal agencies for three weeks while negotiations on border security funding continue.  

 

Carper adds senators will continue to seek compromises on border security funding, as well as the future of the so-called “dreamers.”

 

And Carper is confident compromises can be reached before the measure runs out.

 

“I was talking to some of my Republican colleagues who are leaders of the Republican Senate Caucus. And I think that the three of us can work out a reasonable compromise in three hours, not three weeks. It’s not that hard to do,” said Carper. “If we haven’t resolved this within a couple of weeks, shame on the executive branch and shame on the legislative branch.”

 

 

Carper says he thinks border funding decisions should be driven by experts within US Customs & Border Protection, and that DACA recipients should not be deported.

Sen. Chris Coons, in a statement, says he’s “encouraged the President has realized he cannot get what he wants by recklessly shutting down the government.”  

 

And Coons says he's prepared work for compromises on border security and immigration.

 

“I support smart, effective border security investments and humane changes to our immigration system, and I am committed to working with Republicans and Democrats to reach those goals,” said Coons in his statement.

 

Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester said in a statement she is pleased an agreement to reopen the government has been reached, calling the shutdown "an embarrassing episode in our nation's history."

 

"Now, it is time for members of both parties to come to the table in good faith to negotiate a sustainable, long-term solution for border security," said Blunt Rochester, in her statement. "It is my hope that this agreement represents a step in the direction of bipartisanship and responsible governance, and a step away from the dysfunction that has recently plagued our government."

Sophia Schmidt is a Delaware native. She comes to Delaware Public Media from NPR’s Weekend Edition in Washington, DC, where she produced arts, politics, science and culture interviews. She previously wrote about education and environment for The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, MA. She graduated from Williams College, where she studied environmental policy and biology, and covered environmental events and local renewable energy for the college paper.
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