
Sen. Joe Manchin. Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced Thursday that he will vote for President Trump's proposal to reopen the government, making him the first Senate Democrat to back the plan that includes $5.7 billion for a border wall.
The big picture: Manchin will also vote for a Democrat-backed clean spending bill, joining at least 3 Republicans — Sens. Cory Gardner, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — who have said they will vote for both bills in an effort to end the shutdown. Manchin acknowledged that neither bill is likely to pass the Senate, but said his votes "are a start to finding a way to reopen the [government and getting West Virginians] back to work."
Go deeper: 3 Republican senators want to reopen government without a border deal