Republicans Starting To Abandon Trump With Calls To Reopen The Government Without Wall Funding

As Democrats took over the House of Representatives on Thursday, there are growing signs that some Republicans could be breaking from Donald Trump as he continues to hold the government hostage over his fantasy border wall.

According to The Hill, GOP Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado is now calling on lawmakers to reopen the U.S. government without any funding for Trump’s pet project on the southern border.

“I think we should pass a continuing resolution to get the government back open,” the Republican lawmaker said. “The Senate has done it last Congress, we should do it again today.”

Gardner is referring to recently passed legislation in the Senate that would fund the government without allocating the $5 billion Trump wants for his proposed wall.

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In a tweet, the Colorado Republican added that the entire government shouldn’t be closed because of the ongoing fight over Trump’s wall.

According to the same report in The Hill, “Gardner is the first Senate Republican to call for ending the partial shutdown even without a deal on Trump’s demand for $5 billion to fund a border wall.”

The Washington Post also notes that Maine Sen. Susan Collins showed signs of cracking by throwing her support behind a plan that would “advance a package of spending bills already approved in the Senate that would re-open the bulk of the government, while setting aside the fight over the wall in a separate piece of legislation.”

The floor is shifting beneath Trump

With Democrats taking the reins of power on Thursday and pledging to reopen the federal government, the floor appears to be shifting under Donald Trump.

Republicans are feeling increased pressure to join with the Democratic majority in the House and pass legislation already approved by the GOP-controlled Senate that would reopen the federal government.

The calls from Sens. Gardner and Collins – two lawmakers up for re-election in 2020 – to reopen the federal government without wall funding could be a sign that Trump’s support among Republicans in Congress is beginning to crack.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.