Senate Republicans look to Trump to avoid shutdown

government shutdown

GOP leaders are eager to avoid a shutdown over the president’s border wall.

Senate Republicans are searching for a way out of the impending partial government shutdown — but they are waiting for President Donald Trump to weigh in before making a move.

Roughly a quarter of the government is scheduled to shutter on Friday without action, and Democrats and Trump continue to spar over his border wall. With the House out of town until Wednesday, all eyes are on the Senate GOP majority and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who hates shutdowns.

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“We’re talking about how to resolve our dilemma, which is what we all need to do,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.). “We don’t know [what the president wants]. We’ll hopefully know by 5 o’clock. He might be amenable then. He might be amenable to doing nothing. Let it tick away.”

Shelby met privately with McConnell on Monday afternoon and has been trying to steer the GOP away from a shutdown. One option that’s been discussed has been a two-week continuing resolution to kick the fight until January; another is a massive “omnibus” spending bill with funding for seven federal agencies, including a boost to border security spending, according to sources tracking the spending fight. No final decisions by the White House have been made, according to multiple sources.

Senate Democrats have effective veto power over any deal between Republicans and the president under the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he’s heard nothing from the White House since offering flat spending levels on border security to Trump last Tuesday.

“We don’t even know what their parameters or plans are. We’ve asked them, we’ve sent them two things, they haven’t answered us. They’ve sent us nothing,” Schumer said on Monday. “They don’t seem to know where the president is at.”

That likely leaves it to McConnell, who talks to Trump on a near-daily basis.

Senate Republicans would prefer not to pass a stopgap bill but acknowledged on Monday it was possible. That would likely result in House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) passing a long-term spending bill in January and denying Trump the $5 billion in wall funding he’s demanding.

“Failing everything else, I admit that’s a possibility. But that’s not the first, second or third choice,” said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) of a short-term bill. He added that the Senate could start passing spending legislation before the House, though it would require more procedural hoops.

Jake Sherman contributed to this report.