The House and Senate are scheduled to reconvene for regular business Thursday at 4 p.m. and resume the process of hashing out a deal on border wall funding.
There is no end in sight as the third government shutdown of the year entered its third day Monday, the day before Christmas.
Congress will not conduct regular business until days after Christmas, negotiations between the White House and Capitol Hill lawmakers appear to be at a standstill and congressional Republicans remain unsure exactly what President Donald Trump will accept for border wall funding after he abruptly moved the goal posts last week.
One of three senior administration officials acting as intermediaries for talks between Trump and lawmakers, incoming acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, confirmed a grim reality on Sunday morning talk shows—one that hundreds of thousands of federal employees likely feared.
« It’s very possible that this shutdown will go beyond the 28th and into the new Congress, » Mulvaney told Fox News’ Chris Wallace .
Trump doubled down Monday morning, tweeting that his border wall was, « Desperately needed! » He added that, « Virtually every Democrat… strongly supported a Border Wall or Fence. It was only when I made it an important part of my campaign, because people and drugs were pouring into our Country unchecked, that they turned against it. »
Democrats have, in the past, supported border fencing and continue to support other border security measures. They did not, however, support the type of tall, concrete wall Trump has suggested. The president recently unveiled a new design featuring « steel slats. »
Just hours before Friday’s partial shutdown commenced, Trump warned it could « last a very long time. » Previously, he told the presumptive incoming House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer he’d be « proud » to shut down the government over his long-desired border wall.
That same day, GOP Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana told Newsweek he’s prepared to fight over a shutdown « all weekend, through Christmas, whatever it takes until we reach a fair resolution on how to secure our country’s border.
