WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 11, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Negotiators on both sides of the aisle in Washington, D.C. say they have reached an “agreement in principle” that should prevent a government shutdown set to go into effect at the end of this week.
Four lead negotiators representing both Democrats and Republicans announced the breakthrough Monday night just minutes before Donald Trump was set to rally his base at a staged demonstration in El Paso, Texas.
Trump was expected to press his case for the construction of a multi-billion dollar border wall. A deadlock over wall funding, the centerpiece of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, led to a crippling 35-day government shutdown earlier this year. Up until Monday night’s announcement, it looked like a second shutdown was becoming more and more likely.
When asked by reporters if the latest round of negotiations satisfied funding for a wall, in addition to Democrats’ demands for the capping of bed space for border detainees Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby said: “We’ve got an agreement on all of it.”
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