U.S. Senate Republican Leader Thune: Hopes to Pass Bill to Restart Government Early This Week

According to Jinse Finance, citing CNN, U.S. Senate Majority Whip John Thune stated that it "remains to be seen" when the Senate will hold a final vote on the government funding restart bill, but he hopes it can be passed early this week. The Senate has adjourned until 11 a.m. local time on Monday (midnight Tuesday, Beijing time). Thune made it clear that he hopes to pass the bill tomorrow (Monday) and immediately submit it to the House of Representatives for a vote. "Tonight's vote went well. We hope to have the opportunity to schedule subsequent votes. Of course, this will require some cooperation and consensus," he said. This points to a fact: if any senator insists on delaying, any member from either party can use procedural means to postpone the vote for several days. He revealed that Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul, who voted against the bill, wants a vote on an amendment involving the state's cannabis industry. Thune said it is still uncertain whether this request can be met. Three conservative senators—Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida, and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin—retained their votes as the voting neared its end, during which they had in-depth discussions with Thune and other senior Republicans in the chamber. When asked about his confidence in the swift passage of the appropriations bill, Thune responded, "That depends on how motivated everyone is tomorrow."