Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he will support “whatever works” to avoid another shutdown, making it tougher for President Trump to turn down an agreement that House and Senate negotiators have started to put together, according to Politico.
Members of the conference committee expressed optimism at their first meeting Wednesday, but no deal has emerged yet. They have until Feb. 15 to get a bill signed by the President.
The trickiest issue is whether to fund the President’s border wall request. While Democrats continue to resist that request, they have indicated some flexibility on what could be considered a “wall,” which means the committee’s success could depend on semantics and spin.
“I suspect we might have some discussions about terminology and words we use,” Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) said, according to The Hill.
Snap of the Week
Naval Academy plebes climb the Herndon Monument, a tradition symbolizing the successful completion of the midshipmen’s freshman year. The class of 2027 completed the climb in 2 hours, 19 minutes and 11 seconds. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey