Cracks emerging among Senate Republicans as Murkowski calls for end to shutdown

By Manu Raju and Clare Foran, CNN

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/01/08/politics/lisa-murkowski-senate-republicans/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fpolitics%2F

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(CNN) — Patience is beginning to wear thin among Senate Republicans for a prolonged government shutdown, with a growing number at risk of revolting if the fight over funding President Donald Trump's border wall drags out indefinitely.

In interviews with a wide range of Senate Republicans, a number have grown anxious about the long-term impact of a partial shutdown that has shuttered a quarter of the federal government and impacted hundreds of thousands of federal employees and contractors, including many in their states who will soon miss their first paychecks. And some GOP senators are signaling a new willingness to allow a number of key federal agencies -- such as the Treasury Department, the Transportation Department and the National Park Service -- to reopen even if the fight over the border wall is not resolved, breaking with the White House and Senate GOP leaders.

"I think we can walk and chew gum," GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said on Tuesday, adding she's "amenable to a process that would allow for those appropriations bills that have concluded some time ago that they be enacted into law -- whether it's the Department of Interior or the IRS. I'd like to see that."

In a warning sign for the White House, a number of Senate Republicans offered tepid support for the hard-line stance taken by Trump, who is backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. While many Republicans said they'd continue to support McConnell and Trump for now, it was clear that support won't last indefinitely.


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