US Senate Majority Leader: Cautious optimism about opening the government before the end of the week.

 

Government shutdown in America 

US Senate Majority Leader: Cautious optimism about opening the government before the end of the week.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) said he was cautiously optimistic that an agreement to reopen the federal government could be reached before the end of the week, as negotiations continued between Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

Thune told reporters at the Capitol on Monday that while he was not entirely confident the government shutdown would end soon, he saw "positive signs" of progress in the weekend talks between members of the Senate and House of Representatives, adding, "Based on my instincts and the way things usually go, I think we are getting closer to a way out of the crisis. The goal is to send a bill that the House can pass to reopen the government."

The Republican leader indicated that among the items proposed in the potential agreement is setting a clear path for the financial appropriations process and holding a vote to extend the health care law (Obamacare) benefits that are about to expire, noting that any interim agreement must include a new funding date after the previous date of November 21 became impractical.

Thune said that extending the funding into next January or later would be "more sensible," explaining that "a longer path is better because it gives Congress enough time to pass full annual budgets."
He added that the local elections scheduled for Tuesday in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City represent a "temporary obstacle" to reaching an agreement, noting that their results "could affect the atmosphere of the political negotiations."

Theon did not rule out the possibility of cancelling next week's break if no progress is made this week, saying, "We have to keep all options open. If we don't see signs of progress by the middle of the week, it will be difficult to finalize anything before the end of it."
This statement comes at a time of mounting pressure on the US Congress to end the government shutdown that is disrupting federal institutions, amid sharp disagreements over spending and tax priorities as the fiscal year draws to a close.