Top White House officials and congressional leaders pushed Tuesday for a sweeping two-year budget deal that would suspend the debt ceiling and reduce the possibility of another government shutdown later this year, a potential bipartisan breakthrough following months of acrimony and standoffs. The sequester is a set of stringent budget caps that would snap into place early next year absent a spending deal. Participating in Tuesday’s two meetings along with McConnell and Schumer were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and acting budget director Russell Vought. “But I think they realize, the Republican leadership and the White House, that . But behind-the-scenes negotiations led White House officials to soften their stance in recent weeks, as it became clear that Democrats would not support their agenda.

Source: Washington Post May 21, 2019 19:43 UTC