Scramble in Capitol for last-minute wall deal

WASHINGTON • U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to torpedo a bipartisan spending bill and demand $5.7 billion for the construction of a wall along the Mexico border led large parts of the federal government to shut down on Saturday, testing the political wills of Democrats and Republicans in the final days of 2018.

The White House and congressional leaders continued negotiations late Friday, but most House lawmakers were sent home before 7 p.m., making it impossible for them to vote on any agreement until Saturday. Funding for numerous agencies, including those that operate parks, homeland security, law enforcement, and transportation, expires at midnight.

It’s unclear how long a shutdown might last. Trump predicted earlier Friday that it could drag on for a “very long time.”

The breakdown marked the most dramatic consequence of Washington’s new political dynamic. Trump saw the showdown over a wall as a necessary fight in order to try and deliver one of his core campaign promises.

Democrats, buttressed by big wins in the November midterm elections, have unified and are seeking to thwart his agenda. They have warned that his erratic, and at times impulsive, demands are unsettling financial markets, foreign allies, and even members of his own cabinet.

The Senate narrowly passed a vote in the evening the Republican and Democratic leaders said preserved the possibility of a compromise, though no agreement has yet been reached.

Spending for a number of federal agencies, impacting hundreds of thousands of federal employees, expires at midnight. But negotiations remained extremely fluid, and it was unclear if any spending measure would be able to resolve intense disagreements about whether to fund 215 miles (346 kilometres) of wall along the Mexico border.

“I hope Senate Democrats will work with the White House on an agreement that can pass both houses of Congress and then receive the president’s signature,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told other lawmakers after the vote passed 48-47, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a tie.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats were open to discussions with the White House and Republicans, but would not agree to any measure that funded the new construction of a border wall.

Trump and Schumer had dug in after the president reversed course Thursday morning and renewed his demand for taxpayer money to build the wall. But there were signs of a late thaw on Friday, when McConnell, Democrats, and Pence began huddling separately in the Capitol. Pence separately joined Trump adviser Jared Kushner and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney for a meeting with House conservatives.

The construction of a wall along the Mexico border was one of Trump’s top campaign promises in 2016, and he had promised that Mexico would finance the entire project. But since taking office, he has demanded the money come from Congress, and Senate Democrats have easily blocked every attempt.

In recent days, Trump has tried a number of different tactics to try and secure the money. He called on cabinet secretaries to search their budgets for extra money, and on Wednesday he pronounced the entire project would be funded by the military. But by Thursday he was back to demanding that the money come directly from Congress, leaving many GOP lawmakers scrambling to accede to his demands.

Trump sees the final days of 2018 as his last, best chance to secure the funding, because Democrats will take control of the House in 2019.