Senate returns to looming government shutdown

The Senate returned this week to the threat of a government shutdown after only managing to pass a stopgap funding bill in December. "The president wants a two-year budget deal that provides realistic budget caps, and provides certainty for our national security," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday. "That'll be the focus, front and center, for the conversations that are taking place this week.”

While immigration will undoubtedly be one of the biggest hurdles toward passing a bipartisan funding package — Trump has insisted "there can be no [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] deal" without a border wall, terms the Democrats have already rejected — additional showdowns are expected over health care and national security spending, Politico reports. Democrats have already insisted on a deal that matches Pentagon spending in domestic programs, and congressional leaders from both sides will meet Wednesday with White House officials in an attempt to reach some sort of consensus.

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