CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE VOTES AGAIN TO RE-OPEN GOVERNMENT

(Washington, DC) – Today, Congressman Joe Morelle joined members of the House in voting for a package of legislation that would immediately re-open government, funding most federal agencies through September 30, 2019.

"For yet the tenth time this month, my colleagues and I in the House passed bipartisan legislation that would immediately end this harmful shutdown," said Rep. Morelle. "Now the president must answer the question - how much longer must the American people sufferer as a consequence of his reckless refusal to reopen the government? Once again, it is my hope that the Senate and the President choose to act responsibly and join us in putting the needs of everyday Americans first by supporting these measures."

The legislation, H.R. 648, reflects bipartisan House-Senate conference agreements negotiated by Republican and Democratic leaders in both chambers for all agencies outside Homeland Security through September 30. In addition, the legislation includes language to pay federal employees who have been working without pay or who have been furloughed because of the Trump Shutdown.

The bills include more than $1.6 billion in border security-related measures. They provide $563.4 million for immigration judges to reduce the backlog of immigration cases, $524.2 million for construction at ports of entry to facilitate lawful entries and trade, and $527 million to assist Central American countries as they work to improve security and economic stability.

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