Congressional leaders are scrambling to wriggle their way out of a government shutdown that went into effect shortly after midnight when the Senate defeated a House-passed stopgap spending measure, The Hill reports.
While both sides face risks from a prolonged shutdown, neither party is giving significant ground and the White House says it will not negotiate on the issue that triggered the stalemate: how to replace an Obama-era program that allows certain undocumented immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children to work and go to school here.
Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) immediately after the failed vote called for a White House summit between congressional leaders and President Trump to hash out a broad deal on immigration, spending caps and disaster relief.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), echoing the White House, sought to instead stick to a deal close to the House bill rejected by most Senate Democrats — while shortening that stopgap measure from four to three weeks.
McConnell said it would take at least that long to put together a complicated spending deal.
“You can’t reach an agreement and snap your fingers and everything [falls] into place and you’re ready to go,” he said, arguing that negotiators need “a reasonable period” to work out differences.
Democrats blocked McConnell from getting a quick vote on the revised proposal, signaling they want more from a deal.
“There is a path forward. We can reach it quickly, tomorrow,” Schumer said. “The president and the four leaders should immediately sit down and finish this deal so the entire government can get back to work on Monday.”
Republicans appeared confident throughout the day that they were winning the public relations game over the shutdown. They argue Democrats forced the shutdown by demanding action to help the so-called Dreamers covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that Trump is ending.
Polls show a majority of voters back a solution that would allow these immigrants to stay in the United States, but also that a majority does not think the government should be shut down over the issue.
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