Chances to find a spending bill agreement that can avert another government shutdown are looking grim, after House-Senate negotiations mostly stalled over the weekend. The conference committee appeared no closer to compromise on immigration, the main sticking point.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said on Fox News Sunday that there is a 50-50 chance of a deal and that without one, “the President will have some options, perhaps we’ll have some options. But short of a deal, they’re not good options.”
Any deal would need to come soon if it is to make it through both chambers and to the President’s desk before current spending authority runs out Feb. 15.
White House Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney told NBC’s Meet the Press that another partial shutdown is still on the table.