Budget battle stalls as shutdown continues

Congress meets Thursday for the first time since the government partially shut down last weekend, but lawmakers have not presented any workable solutions for the border wall funding dispute between President Donald Trump and Democrats.

The White House has talked with lawmakers to try to narrow the gap between the $1.3 billion Democrats have proposed for border security and Trump’s desired $5.7 billion for the wall, but they have not yet come to a concrete agreement.

The office of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Politico the House likely will not hold any votes before Democrats take control of the chamber Jan. 3. The Senate also has no plans to vote until a deal is reached. Lawmakers have been told they will receive 24 hours notice before a vote, and many may opt out of returning to Washington, D.C., in the meantime.

On Thursday, Trump tweeted, “Have the Democrats finally realized that we desperately need Border Security and a Wall on the Southern Border … Do the Dems realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats?”

Funding ran out for nine federal departments and several agencies on Saturday, but with the weekend and days off for the holiday, Wednesday was the first regularly scheduled workday affected by the shutdown. Around 420,000 employees deemed essential are still working, while 380,000 are on furlough.