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Both Mass. senators voted ‘no’ on deal to reopen the government

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff/file 2015

Both of Massachusetts’ US senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, voted against a deal to end the government shutdown Monday.

The pair were among 18 “no” votes on a procedural vote to advance a short term funding bill that was passed in the Senate with support from Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer struck a deal with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to fund the government until Feb. 8 in exchange for assurances that the Senate would begin debating immigration.

In a tweet, Warren slammed Republicans for what she said was inaction on a fix for “Dreamers,” funding for community health centers, and hurricane relief.

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In a statement, Markey said the deal struck Monday was a “hallucination.”

“Without guaranteed long-term funding for community health centers, the opioid crisis, disaster aid, and protections for our DREAMers, I cannot support this legislation,” he said.

Many Democrats wanted legal status for “Dreamers,” a group of young immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children and whose temporary legal status in the US was revoked by President Trump.

A number of other liberal Democrats, including some who are expected to run for the Democratic nomination in 2020, joined Markey and Warren in voting no.

Senator Dianne Feinstein said she wasn’t persuaded by McConnell’s assurances and did not know how a proposal to protect the more than 700,000 younger immigrants would fare in the House.

Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, and Kamala Harris also voted no.


Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.