WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Thursday blocked dueling plans to reopen shuttered federal agencies, a fresh setback in efforts to end a month-long government shutdown, but President Donald Trump signaled he could back a “reasonable” proposal that includes border security.
The legislative deadlock left Congress and the president grasping for a solution as thousands of federal workers, some reliant on food banks to make ends meet, are about to miss a second paycheck.
But shortly after the votes, the outlines of a possible deal to end the deepening crisis began to take shape, when Senate leaders huddled in private to discuss a proposal to fund lapsed federal agencies for three weeks, to allow for negotiations over border security.
Asked if he would support the plan, discussed in private by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, Trump was noncommittal, saying he would still want funding for his wall.
“If they come to a reasonable agreement, I would support it,” he said, but added: “We have to have a wall in this country.”
But top Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, said any deal that includes a down payment on Trump’s wall would be a non-starter.
“I hope that that doesn’t mean some big downpayment for the wall,” Pelosi said according to US media, adding, “I don’t know if he knows what he’s talking about.”
Trump had backed a Senate measure which would have reopened the government and funded the wall, while a competing Democratic proposal would have opened government through February 8 without funding Trump’s wall, and leave room for border security negotiations.
Both bills failed to reach the 60 votes needed to advance in the 100-member chamber.
Trump was already smarting, after being forced into shelving his annual State of the Union address by Pelosi until the government is fully operational.
Though politically bruised, Trump stood firm on his demand for billions of dollars in funding for a border wall as part of an overall budget package.
“We will not Cave!” he tweeted at Pelosi before the Senate voted.
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