Democrats offer plan to resolve shutdown

Homeland Security would be funded through Feb. 8

WASHINGTON – House Democrats are proposing a plan to end the government shutdown and give President Donald Trump and Congress more time to negotiate a deal over border funding, a senior Democratic aide told USA TODAY.

The plan would include full-year funding for shuttered departments except for the Department of Homeland Security, said the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not yet been made public.

The proposal would include temporary funding for DHS through Feb. 8.

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security sits at the center of the impasse between the White House and congressional Democrats that has led to a partial government shutdown, now in its second week. Trump wants additional money for a border wall, and Democrats oppose the idea.

Whether the idea could gain traction depends on how Trump reacts, officials in both parties said. Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, stressed that, “the Senate is not going to send something to the president that he won’t sign.”

The House Democratic proposal was first reported by The Washington Post.

“Democrats, come back from vacation now and give us the votes necessary for Border Security, including the Wall,” Trump tweeted on Monday.

A senior White House official said the administration won’t comment publicly on the plan until officials can see it.

No meetings are scheduled between the two sides.