ohio senators | What they said

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, said: “A bill to reopen the government was put on the Senate floor [Thursday], and Leader [Mitch] McConnell and Senate Republicans refused to do their jobs and end this shutdown. I’m calling on Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump and my Republican colleagues to listen to the hardworking Americans who are suffering under this unnecessary and avoidable shutdown. Talk to the workers and military members and small-business owners who you’re hurting. Reopen the government and do it today.”

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Cincinnati-area Republican, said, “As predicted, both bills failed [Thursday], and now it’s time to coalesce around a third way that has support from some Republicans and some Democrats and that I have been advocating for weeks. It would reopen government in the short term with the commitment to a border security plan that can be enacted in the next few weeks.” He added: “I’ve proposed responsible solutions to improve our border security, reopen the government and prevent these types of shutdowns in the future.”