As day 27 of the partial government shutdown comes to a close, no deal is in sight and Congress is getting ready to head home for the weekend. Spectrum News Washington reporter Taylor Popielarz has been checking in daily with Ohio’s members of Congress, to see if they are making any progress in ending this.

  • Scheduled recess canceled due to shutdown
  • Rep. Davidson introduced bill to set up donation fund for wall
  • Rep. Kaptur doesn't believe a wall is best solution 

Rep. Warren Davidson

Congressman Warren Davidson (R-08) wants the border wall. He’s even introduced the ‘Buy a Brick, Build the Wall Act’ that would have the government set up a fund so you at home can donate to pay for it. He calls the shutdown ‘disappointing,’ but said President Trump’s demand for money to build a barrier is worth it and something millions of people want.

“I think that it’s an easy resolution,” Davidson said. “You know, $5 billion for the border is .13% of the spending. So it’s not about the spending. And frankly, it can’t be that it’s immoral, otherwise we’d be tearing down walls. So we have to get past the political rhetoric.”

Rep. Marcy Kaptur

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-09) said this isn’t about politics. She said the country is locked into a ‘ridiculous’ and ‘almost false debate’ about a wall that isn’t even the best solution to fixing our immigration system.

“As someone who’s interested in science, we can handle that border with blimps and satellites much more effectively than with a stationary wall,” Kaptur said. “We need mobile technologies that are much cheaper.

Kaptur is the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S House of Representatives. She said this is the worst shutdown she’s ever seen because, 27 days in, no progress has been made.

Sen. Rob Portman

On the Senate side, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) tweeted Thursday that he’s continuing to work with his colleagues to resolve the shutdown. He said in the tweet that both parties must come together to find a solution.


Portman is pushing legislation that would provide $25 billion for border security — not just a wall — and protect DACA recipients. He also re-introduced legislation that would end government shutdowns altogether.

Sen. Sherrod Brown

His Democratic colleague, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), has a new bill out that would get federal contract workers back-pay. Brown said the only way to end the shutdown is if Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) tried re-passing the spending bill that was passed in December, but then rejected by Trump.  Brown said Congress should override the president if he rejects it again.

“This president doesn’t seem to even want to negotiate — move even an inch off of his demand,” Brown said. “We all know that if Congress would vote the $5 billion for the wall, the president — three months from now — would again shut the government down to get the next $5 billion for the wall. And we can’t operate that way.”

Congress was supposed to have next week off for a recess, but it’s been canceled because of the shutdown. Lawmakers will return to D.C. on Tuesday, after observing Martin Luther King Day.