Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) intends to buck his party and vote for a clean funding bill without wall money, according to a Denver Post editorial.
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is finally allowing two bills to the floor on Thursday, one of which would reopen the government until February 8 and keep border funding at current levels.
Gardner is also reportedly supporting a measure to allow federal workers to collect their paychecks even if the shutdown continues. That legislation would come into play if the clean bill fails—which is probable—due to Republican opposition.
Gardner is considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans running for reelection in 2020, and will likely step out of line with the party more frequently than his safer peers.