The government shutdown has entered its third day as lawmakers in Washington were unable to reach a compromise to reopen the government late Sunday night. A bipartisan group of twenty senators have been meeting throughout the weekend trying to finalize a deal that they could present to their respective leaders.
Senators left a ninety-minute meeting yesterday afternoon optimistic that they were getting closer to a breakthrough. Another meeting has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday morning with a procedural vote on a spending bill that would keep the government open until February 8, set to take place soon after, at noon.
Democrats want to see a solution to the DACA program included in any spending bill. Republicans have said no negotiation on immigration will take place as long as the government remains closed.
In a slight sign of compromise, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised to bring a vote to the Senate floor on DACA and disaster relief (both Democratic demands) if those issues have not been resolved by February 8. “Assuming the government remains open,” McConnell said.
McConnell: As long as government remains open, “it would be my intention to take up legislation here in the Senate that would address DACA, border security and related issues.” pic.twitter.com/5EXY5OgsKR
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) January 22, 2018
Democrats have wanted to attach immigration reform legislation to a spending bill in order to get the House to vote on it. Comprehensive immigration reform passed the Senate by a large margin in 2013, but the House never brought it to the floor for a vote. The only way to force the GOP-led House to vote on the immigration bill, Democrats believe, is by attaching it to a must-pass spending bill. Republican leaders in the Senate however, have been reluctant to bind the House in that way. Moderates on both sides of the aisle have been trying to find a solution that appeases both sides.
Finding a solution has become much more urgent now because the workweek has begun. Hundreds of thousands of government employees are facing furloughs, some government functions have been interrupted and public museums and other attractions face closure.
“It gets a lot more real when the week starts,” Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) said. “The longer these things drag on, the harder it gets.”