WASHINGTON — Moving to end a looming government shutdown, the Senate is expected to pass a stopgap spending bill as soon as Wednesday that would keep the government funded through Feb. 8 — and would punt the impasse over a southern border wall to the new year and a divided Congress. Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader from New York, said Democrats would support such a measure. [How a partial shutdown would impact the government and its citizens.] “I’m glad the leader thinks the government should not shut down over the president’s demand for a wall,” Mr. Schumer said on the Senate floor. Mr. Trump has publicly embraced shutting down the government to force Democrats to capitulate on wall funding, but in the last two days, White House officials have signaled a softening of that position.

Source: New York Times December 19, 2018 16:29 UTC