8 Republicans vote to reopen the Treasury Department in test of House GOP unity

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Just eight Republicans voted with Democrats on Wednesday to reopen some federal agencies, a sign that the GOP is sticking with President Trump in his battle to pressure Congress into paying for a border wall.

Democrats called up a bill to provide funding to the Treasury Department and other agencies such as the IRS and Securities and Exchange Commission. The bill is the first of several being called up this week in a bid to pressure Republicans to end what is becoming a painful partial government shutdown for some federal workers.

But the vote showed the GOP is still with Trump, at least for now. The eight “yes” votes from Republicans are in line with votes seen last week, when just seven Republicans voted for a bill to appropriate funds for most of the federal agencies that still need funding this year.

Republicans who voted for the bill were Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Pa.; Jamie Herrera Beutler, Wash.; Will Hurd, Texas; John Katko, N.Y.; Adam Kinzinger, Ill.; Elise Stefanik, N.Y.; Fred Upton, Mich.; and Greg Walden, Ore.

The vote came shortly after Trump walked out of a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., after the Democrats said they would not agree to Trump’s border wall under any condition. That meeting showed there was no sign of any progress in negotiations to open the government and fund the wall, and it could be a sign that Trump will look to invoke his emergency powers to fund new construction at the border.

Still, Democrats plan to keep pushing Republicans to open the government without any wall funding. They are planning votes on three additional spending bills this week, beginning with agriculture appropriations on Thursday, and three more next week. The seven bills make up the 25 percent of federal funding that lapsed beginning Dec. 22 at midnight.

Democrats are predicting that support from Republicans will grow because the shutdown is increasingly hurting federal government functions, and 800,000 federal employees will go without paychecks starting Friday.

Trump met with Senate Republicans in the Capitol Wednesday afternoon, and he urged lawmakers to remain united against the Democratic attempt to fund the government without a border wall.

A few Senate Republicans, including Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, support voting on legislation to reopen the government even without wall funding. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has refused to take up the House-passed bills, and Trump said he’d veto them.

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