Christmas Shutdown Averted? McConnell Offers Plan to Kick the Can Down the Road as Dems Play Hardball

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says he's got a plan to prevent a government shutdown. It's a temporary funding bill that keeps the government open until Feb. 8.

The announcement came Wednesday morning after Democrat leaders in Congress and the Trump administration couldn't reach an agreement to avoid a government shutdown that would take place Friday. While the administration backed off its request for $5 billion to fund a border wall, the two sides still couldn't agree.

"I think there's certainly bipartisan support for avoiding a government shutdown and so we're now trying to figure out the way forward," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
 
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, "The ball remains in the president and Republicans' court to accept one of our common sense proposals."

The White House set the tone Tuesday, softening its position by offering a proposal seeking $1.6 billion for a border wall with an additional $1 billion for border security.

That measure was rejected by the Democrats as a "slush fund."

"We had a discussion about a proposal that we offered that I thought was reasonable to both sides, to give us an opportunity to in effect thread the needle on the border security issue. I've heard back from Sen. Schumer that the offer was not acceptable and so now I'm in consultation with the White House about the way forward," McConnell explained.

Later in the day, the administration said it could work to get the funds from other sources.

"We're looking at every avenue available to us possible," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. "The president's asked every one of his cabinet secretaries to look for funding that can be used to protect our borders and give the president the ability to fulfill his constitutional obligation to protect the American people by having a secure border." 

Senate Republicans are encouraging the president to take a short-term deal to avoid a shutdown at Christmas and settle the issue after the new year. But Democrats are taking over the House of Representatives next year, so the president is holding his ground.

"We'll see what happens," Trump told reporters when asked about whether a shutdown can be avoided.

Meanwhile, fears of a slowing economy are also a factor.

Some 800,000 federal workers could be sent home or forced to work without pay if a shutdown happens.

CBN News' Abigail Robertson says with just a few days to go before the Friday deadline, both sides have to act fast to find a resolution.

The clock is ticking, she said during an interview in CBN News' Faith Nation.  "They have to reach an agreement and they have to bring it to the floor fairly soon. I'd say in the next 24 hours in order to get something passed by that midnight deadline."