Government Shutdown Enters Day 15, Is A Deal Near?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's day 15 of the government shutdown, and the nation is two days away from a government default. But, Senate leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell have set aside their differences to come up with a plan to end the stalemate.
Republicans in the Senate will meet Tuesday morning to review that deal, and a vote could happen later today. Senators Reid and McConnell have been meeting more often in the past day or so, and seem optimistic about reaching a deal very soon.
In the proposal, the government would reopen with enough money to operate until Jan. 15. The debt ceiling would be raised enough so the Treasury could borrow normally until Feb. 15.
There would also be negotiations taking place to cut the deficit by Dec. 15 and offset further cuts from the sequester. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is a part of a bipartisan group of six Democrats and six Republican senators who could finally bridge the gap when it comes to negotiations on the debt ceiling and government shutdown.
She hopes this bipartisan group can help end the shutdown.
"We just got sick and tired of all the people throwing insults on TV at each other and really not trying to find that common ground," Klobuchar said. "And there is some common ground there, so we came together and came up with some ideas where there could be agreement. They are obviously not all in the final agreement."
The American people are tired, too. The non-profit Organizing For Action, a non-partisan voter advocacy group, is also planning to protest the government shutdown outside the social security office in downtown Minneapolis at noon Tuesday.
If the Senate votes Tuesday, the House would still have to approve any legislation. The proposal does not include any significant reforms to the Affordable Care Act, which is what House Republicans were originally seeking in the budget stand-off.
