Bipartisan congressional negotiators working on a federal spending deal to avert a second partial government shutdown reported Friday afternoon they are close to reaching an agreement.
Talks will continue over the the weekend, and negotiators from both houses of Congress hope to have a finalized proposal Monday so a vote can take place well before their deadline of Friday, Feb. 15.
The question remains whether President Trump will sign any package which does not include the $5.7 billion he has demanded for border wall construction. Democrats have been adamant they will not approve that much, but Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), one of the negotiators, suggested Friday something in the range of $1.6 to $2 billion for "physical barriers" "possibly could be workable."
"I think the political reality is we can't get to [$5.7 billion]," said Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), a GOP negotiator who is aiming for $1.6 billion in wall funding. "I think [Trump] understands that we're operating under a divided government scenario and we've got to get the best deal that we can get."