Senate showdown looms to avert federal government shutdown
All eyes are on Capitol Hill and whether Senators from both sides of the aisle will manage to avert a federal government shutdown amid a looming bust-up over immigration.
Overnight, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill to extend funding for the US government until February 16, thus preventing a government shutdown that risked seeing hundreds of thousands of "non-essential" government workers placed on furlough.
But it remains to be seen whether the Senate will manage the same feat before the deadline for reaching a deal, on Friday at midnight, passes.
Critically, the House bill includes a six-year extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a key concession to Democrats, but left out measures to continue protecting undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children, known as 'Dreamers', from deportation.
At the White House's behest, starting from March those immigrants will be served notice that they will lose their protection from deportation in 18 months' time.
Hence, making those guarantees permanent is now the top Democratic priority and also the main stumbling block to averting a shutdown.
On the other side of the aisle, President Trump has said he is open to finding funding for the Dreamers programme if Congress does the same for extending the border wall in the south.
The House bill will now move onto the Senate, where it needs to be approved by 60 votes to avoid a filibuster, meaning Republicans require the support of 10 Democrats in the 100-person chamber.
If an agreement is not reached, the federal government will shut down on Saturday.
Against that backdrop, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he hoped that a shorter-term deal would enable funding for the government for a few days while they a broader deal on immigration was thrashed out.
Some Republicans are already placing the blame for any potential shutdown on Democrats, accusing them of endangering funding for the military and national security. House speaker Paul Ryan said "Do not jeopardize funding for our military and our national security. Do not jeopardize funding for CHIP.
"It is risky, it is reckless, it is wrong. I ask the American people to understand this, the only people standing in the way of keeping the government open are Senate Democrats."
President Trump also tweeted on the subject saying, "A government shutdown will be devastating to our military […] something the Dems care very little about!"
Nonetheless, Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the house was dismissive regarding the extension of CHIP, saying: "it's like giving you a bowl of doggie doo, put a cherry on top sundae. This is nothing."
"This CHIP should have been done in September," she added
Should another short-term funding resolution be approved on Friday night, it would be the fourth since the start of the new fiscal year in October, due to disagreements in Congress over long-term funding for defence and non-defence programmes.