These House Democrats marched to the Senate before Thursday votes
Their message was to urge senators to vote "to end the Trump-McConnell shutdown," Rep. Barbara Lee said.
Democratic House members marched from their chamber to the Senate Thursday afternoon, walking onto the floor just as the upper chamber took votes on two competing proposals that would have reopened government.
Their message is to urge senators to vote “to end the Trump-McConnell shutdown,” Rep. Barbara Lee said.
The vote was taken while a group of Democratic House members, watched.
The group included:
- Barbara Lee, D-Calif.
- John Lewis, D-Ga.
- Abigail Spanberger, D-Va.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
- Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.
- Katherine Clark, D-Mass
- Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.
- Maxine Waters, D-Calif.
- John Lewis, D-Ga.
- Jamie Raskin, D-Md.
- Bobby Scott, D-Va.
- Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.
- Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del.
- Robin Kelly, D-Ill.
- Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.
- Dwight Evans, D-Pa.
- Joe Neguse, D-Colo.
- Katie Hill, D-Calif.
- Lucy McBath, D-Ga.
- Lauren Underwood, D-Ill.
- Deb Haaland, D-N.M.
- Veronica Escobar, D-Texas
- Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.
- Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.
Once on the Senate floor, the House members gathered in a back corner of the chamber on the Democratic side where staff normally sits. Several Democratic senators went back to greet them and chat.
More than halfway through the voting, Sen. Roy Blunt, a senior Republican appropriator crossed the aisle to talk to House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey. He also spoke briefly with a few other Democratic House members.
On Thursday the Senate voted on two bills.
One included President Donald Trump’s latest immigration plan and the $5.7 billion in emergency spending he wants for the border wall and security.
The other omitted Trump’s latest funding request for a border wall and provided $14.2 billion in disaster aid, a measure that already passed the House.
The Senate rejected both attempts from Republicans and Democrats to reopen government.
After the Senate votes, several of the members went back to the House floor where they delivered one-minute speeches highlighting stories of their constituents who have been impacted by the shutdown.
Some of the members who gave speeches in the House did not participate in the march to the Senate.
