Any hopes that the government shutdown would be just a minor blip and come to a speedy conclusion can now be dashed on the fourteenth day of the impasse; while the sides are still talking it looks like it might be impossible to reach a deal to open the government and raise the debt limit by the Oct. 17 deadline, according to the Washington Post.
President Barack Obama and leaders from the House met for multiple talks last week but it appears as if they were not able to find any common ground; House Republicans held firm to their desire to only approve a debt ceiling hike and reopening of the government alongside other budgetary cuts, most notably to the Affordable Care Act and President Obama refused to accept anything other than a "clean" solution.
In order to find a solution the focus has now turned away from the House to the two senior leaders in the Senate; Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. It is unclear if the two will be able to work together, they have been engaged in a bit of a feud since the 2010 election, according to the Washington Post.
Senate leaders are working on drafting a bill that would allow the government to function once again, raise the debt ceiling, and open long-term budget discussions. The bill would offer some cuts to the Affordable Care Act in order to appease House Republicans but the cuts will be very minor. It will be up to the two leaders to rally the bipartisan support needed to convince House Speaker, John Boehner, R-Ohio, to bring the bill to a vote in the House, according to the New York Times.
"There are always lots of perils, but there does seem to be a possible path forward," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.
On Monday afternoon President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are scheduled to meet with congressional leaders in order to convince them of the direness of the current situation.
"With only a few days until the government runs out of borrowing authority, the president will make clear the need for Congress to act to pay our bills and reopen the government," an unnamed official from the White House told the New York Times. "The president will also reiterate our principles to the leaders: we will not pay a ransom for Congress reopening the government and raising the debt limit."
