Democratic senators running for president in 2020 or considering mounting a bid were split on the government funding bill that passed the Senate on Thursday to avert another shutdown.
Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — who largely form the progressive wing of the party’s 2020 hopefuls — voted against the bill, which included $1.375 billion for barriers on the southern border.
“This is ridiculous,” Harris said. “I have opposed every effort to build the wall because the American people should not have to pay for the president’s vanity project. We don’t need it.”
But Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont broke from the liberal pack, voting in favor of the legislation. In a statement, Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said he “cannot turn my back on the two million federal employees and private contract workers who would be forced, again, to work without pay.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who officially jumped into the race last weekend, also voted for the legislation. Klobuchar is seeking to separate herself from the more liberal wing of the party, touting her willingness to work across the aisle with Republicans.
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Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Jeff Merkley of Oregon — none of whom have formally declared their candidacies but are actively considering jumping into the race — backed the legislation as well. Brown has also distinguished himself from other progressive Democrats seeking the presidency by declining recently to say whether he supports ambitious proposals like “Medicare for All” and the “Green New Deal.”
The Senate passed the funding bill 83 to 16, with the chamber’s most progressive and most conservative lawmakers generally voting against it. The House is expected to take up the measure Thursday night.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Donald Trump would sign the bill and intends to declare a national emergency in order to secure more funding for a border wall.
In a joint statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a national emergency declaration would be “a lawless act” and “a gross abuse of the power of the presidency.”