Lights illuminate the U.S. Capitol on second day of the federal shutdown as lawmakers negotiate behind closed doors in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON – Senate moderates in both parties expressed hopes of finding a way out of the government shutdown mess Sunday as their leadership engaged in unrelenting finger-pointing over who was to blame for the stalemate.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill said they were pursuing a deal to reopen the government before the start of the workweek Monday. In exchange for Democratic votes, GOP leadership would agree to address immigration policy and other pressing legislative matters in the coming weeks. Nothing has been agreed to, the lawmakers said, and there were no indications that leaders of either party or the White House was on board.
A stopgap spending measure was slated for a vote on Monday after midnight.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said there would not be a vote on immigration tied to reopening the government as part of a deal. But, he said, “there would be an agreement that we would proceed to immigration with a broad understanding of what that is.”
The approach found advocates in South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, both Republicans. Lawmakers said they were taking the proposal to leadership Sunday afternoon.
Graham urged Democrats to take the deal. “To my Democratic friends, don’t overplay your hand,” he told reporters. “A government shutdown is not a good way to get an outcome legislatively.”
Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, indicated earlier Sunday that he would continue to lead a filibuster of the stopgap spending measure, while congressional Republicans appeared content to let the pressure build on the second day of the government shutdown.
Senate Democrats blocked a temporary funding bill Friday night, demanding progress on legislation to protect about 700,000 so-called Dreamer immigrants who were brought illegally to the country as children.
Absent a breakthrough, the vote early today will prove to be a test of unity among Democrats, who have wagered shutting down the government to push the immigration question.
Five Democrats from states won by President Donald Trump broke ranks in a vote Friday. The measure gained 50 votes to proceed to 49 against, but 60 were needed to break a Democratic filibuster.
