Centrist senators race to end shutdown

UNITED STATES: Centrist senators racing to strike a deal to end the government shutdown expressed optimism Sunday (local time) that they were close to an agreement - but it was unclear whether they would be able to secure the support of leadership to end the impasse.

With the start of the work week for many federal employees less than 24 hours away, a bipartisan group of moderate senators huddled in hopes of reaching an accord on immigration and federal spending they hoped would pave the way to re-opening the government by Monday morning.

‘‘I think that there will be a breakthrough tonight,’’ said Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of the negotiators. Others involved in the meeting said they were ‘‘close’’to an arrangement.

‘‘The timeline has to be today, open this place back up,’’ said Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va.

Their efforts came as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he would consider a proposal to fund the government through February 8. He blamed Democrats for the hold-up and urged them to allow a vote sooner.

‘‘This shutdown is gonna get a lot worse tomorrow,’’ McConnell said as the Senate opened a second day of a rare weekend session. ‘‘Today would be a good day to end it.’’

Graham said the emerging agreement from his group was to fund the government through Feb. 8 ‘‘with an understanding that we’re going to work on all of the outstanding issues, including immigration.’’ Still, it was unclear whether that would be sufficient to satisfy enough Democrats, who have grown frustrated with the lack of a solution for ‘‘dreamers,’’ undocumented immigrants who were brought into the United States as children. Many Democrats have demanded their futures be addressed as part of any spending deal - even on a temporary basis.

Outside the Senate, the pressure for a deal was building. President Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., pressed senators to end the shutdown that reached its second day, with Trump lashing out at Democrats and urging Republicans to change the rules if the standoff there isn’t resolved.

Ryan said that the House would accept a bill funding the government through February 8. The Senate rejected a House-passed bill late Friday that would have kept the government funded through February 16.

All Democratic senators except five who represent Republicanleaning states voted against that bill, leaving it well short of the supermajority it needed to move toward final passage. McConnell will need to win new Democratic support to get the Feb. 8 bill across the finish line. - Washington Post