US government shut-down drags on

Senators failed to reach an agreement yesterday to end the US government shut-down, ensuring that hundreds of thousands of federal employees would be on leave from today even as the outlines of a potential compromise came into focus. For much of the day, notes a report in The New York Times, feverish work by a bipartisan group of senators offered a reason for cautious optimism that a deal could be reached soon. By Sunday night, Senator Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, the majority leader, moved to delay until noon today a procedural vote on a temporary spending Bill – a signal that talks were progressing. In a gesture to the bipartisan group as it seeks assurances that the Senate will address the fate of hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants, McConnell said he intended to move ahead with immigration legislation next month if the issue had not been resolved by then. Senate Democrats gave no immediate sign that they would get on board with the temporary spending Bill, leaving open the possibility of another failed vote today that could further deepen the partisan divide in the chamber. Any deal would most likely need the support of at least a dozen Senate Democrats, since the chamber’s procedural rules require 60 votes. The report says the best hope for a breakthrough appeared to reside with the group of about 20 senators from both parties who met throughout the weekend to try to hammer out a compromise. The group was discussing a plan in which the government would stay open through early February, to be coupled with a promise that the Senate would tackle the issue of immigration in the coming weeks.