It was the first sign of a potential White House counter offer as the clock ticks down toward Friday’s deadline to fund the government. It wasn’t always like this, with Congress and the White House at a crisis over government funding. The House and Senate used to pass annual appropriation bills, and the president signed them into law. Speaking on the Senate floor, Schumer warned that “going along with the Trump shutdown is a futile act” because House Democrats would quickly approve government funding in January. “President Trump still doesn’t have a plan to keep the government open,” Schumer said Monday.

Source: Huffington Post December 18, 2018 16:41 UTC