Congress Ended the Federal Government Shutdown—But Oregon’s Senators Voted No. Here’s Why.

Ron Wyden calls it "a false choice" between helping two groups of vulnerable children.

Sens. Ron Wyden (left) and Jeff Merkley. (Courtesy of Sen. Jeff Merkley)
By Nigel Jaquiss

On Jan. 22, the U.S. Senate voted 81-18 to end a brief federal government shutdown and fund the government through Feb. 8.

But both of Oregon's U.S. senators voted against ending the shutdown. They attributed their "no" votes to Republicans' refusal to negotiate a solution for the 700,000 people caught in the limbo of ending the immigration program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

Here's how Oregon's senators, both Democrats, explained their votes.

"The Republicans who control Congress forced a false choice between protecting sick kids and allowing kids who have grown up as Americans to become citizens." —Sen. Ron Wyden

"My concern with the three-week extension adopted today is that the Republican leadership will fail to negotiate for 15 of the next 17 days. Furthermore, Leader [Mitch] McConnell's track record of keeping his 'commitments' is thin at best. For that reason, I voted no." —Sen. Jeff Merkley

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