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Ohio Senator Portman Does Not Support Shutting Down Government

Sen. Rob Portman speaks at an event in Cleveland in September 2016. [Nick Castele / ideastream]
Sen. Rob Portman speaks at an event in Cleveland in September 2016. [Nick Castele / ideastream]

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, says he does not support a partial government shutdown, despite President Trump’s insistence he will do so if the border wall is not fully funded. 

President Trump has said he will proudly shut down the government by Dec. 21 which is the end of a current funding extension passed by Congress. After that deadline, some government agencies would run out of money.

Sen. Portman, however, is not a fan of government shutdowns.

“I just don’t think that shutdowns work. We always end up going back and costing the taxpayer more,” Portman said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

Instead, he suggested there’s time to get a border security package passed before the deadline.

“It’ll have some physical barriers including walls. It’ll also have drones. It’ll also have other surveillance along the border. You know in the past almost every member of the Senate has voted for that,” Portman said.

Top House and Senate Democrats, however, have not indicated they support the wall along the border with Mexico.

Marlene Harris-Taylor
Marlene is the director of engaged journalism at Ideastream Public Media.