Little Progress Ahead of Govt Shutdown 12/18 06:17

   The fight over President Donald Trump's $5 billion wall funds has deepened, 
threatening a partial government shutdown in a standoff that has become 
increasingly common in Washington.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The fight over President Donald Trump's $5 billion wall 
funds has deepened, threatening a partial government shutdown in a standoff 
that has become increasingly common in Washington.

   It wasn't always like this, with Congress and the White House at a crisis 
over government funding. The House and Senate used to pass annual appropriation 
bills, and the president signed them into law. But in recent years the shutdown 
scenario has become so routine that it raises the question: Have shutdowns as a 
negotiating tool lost their punch?

   Monday brought few signs of progress. A partial shutdown that could occur at 
midnight Friday risks disrupting government operations and leaving hundreds of 
thousands of federal employees furloughed or working without pay over the 
holiday season. Costs would be likely in the billions of dollars.

   Trump was meeting with his team and getting regular updates, said White 
House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Trump was also tweeting Monday to 
keep up the pressure.

   Exiting a Senate Republican leadership meeting late Monday, Sen. John Thune 
of South Dakota said, "It looks like it probably is going to have to build for 
a few days here before there's a solution."

   The president is insisting on $5 billion for the wall along the southern 
border with Mexico, but he does not have the votes from the Republican-led 
Congress to support it. Democrats are offering to continue funding at current 
levels, $1.3 billion, not for the wall but for fencing and other border 
security.

   It's unclear how many House Republicans, with just a few weeks left in the 
majority before relinquishing power to House Democrats, will even show up 
midweek for possible votes. Speaker Paul Ryan's office had no update. Many 
Republicans say it's up to Trump and Democrats to cut a deal.

   Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Trump talk most days, but the 
senator's spokesman would not confirm if they spoke Monday about a plan. 
McConnell opened the chamber hoping for a "bipartisan collaborative spirit" 
that would enable Congress to finish its work.

   "We need to make a substantial investment in the integrity of our border," 
McConnell said. "And we need to close out the year's appropriation process."

   Meanwhile more than 800,000 government workers are preparing for the 
uncertainty ahead.

   The dispute could affect nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of 
agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, 
Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.

   About half the workers would be forced to continue working without immediate 
pay. Others would be sent home. Congress often approves their pay 
retroactively, even if they were ordered to stay home.

   "Our members are asking how they are supposed to pay for rent, food, and gas 
if they are required to work without a paycheck," said a statement from J. 
David Cox, Sr., president of the American Federation of Government Employees, 
the large federal worker union. "The holiday season makes these inquiries 
especially heart-wrenching."

   Many agencies, including the Pentagon and the departments of Veterans 
Affairs and Health and Human Services, are already funded for the year and will 
continue to operate as usual, regardless of whether Congress and the president 
reach agreement this week.

   Congress already approved funding this year for about 75 percent of the 
government's discretionary account for the budget year that began Oct. 1.

   The U.S. Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, 
wouldn't be affected by any government shutdown because it's an independent 
agency.

   Trump said last week he would be "proud" to have a shutdown to get Congress 
to approve a $5 billion down payment to fulfill his campaign promise to build a 
border wall.

   During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump promised that Mexico would pay 
for the wall. Mexico has refused.

   Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, in a meeting last week at 
the White House, suggested keeping funding at its current level, $1.3 billion, 
for improved fencing. Trump had neither accepted nor rejected the Democrats' 
offer, telling them he would take a look.

   Schumer said Monday he had yet to hear from Trump. Speaking on the Senate 
floor, Schumer warned that "going along with the Trump shutdown is a futile 
act" because House Democrats would quickly approve government funding in 
January.

   "President Trump still doesn't have a plan to keep the government open," 
Schumer said Monday. "No treat or temper tantrum will get the president his 
wall."

   One option for lawmakers would be to provide stopgap funding for a few 
weeks, until the new Congress convenes Jan. 3, when Pelosi is poised to become 
House speaker.

   Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who is in line to become the No. 3 Republican in 
the Senate, suggested a stopgap bill could be one way to resolve the issue or a 
longer-term bill that includes money for border security.

   GOP leaders, though, were frustrated as the clock ticked away. Leaving the 
weekly leadership meeting, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said any planning was a "very 
closely held thing. That's why we should never let this happen. We should pass 
the bills the way we're supposed to pass them."


(KA)