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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| White House Signals Retreat on Shutdown Threat | White House Signals Retreat on Shutdown Threat |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| WASHINGTON — The White House signaled on Tuesday that President Trump may be backing down on his demand for $5 billion from Congress for a wall on the border with Mexico, easing fears of a Christmas government shutdown that would begin at midnight Friday. | WASHINGTON — The White House signaled on Tuesday that President Trump may be backing down on his demand for $5 billion from Congress for a wall on the border with Mexico, easing fears of a Christmas government shutdown that would begin at midnight Friday. |
| Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said on Fox News there were other ways to secure his demand and deliver on a signature campaign promise — one that Mr. Trump previously said was willing to shut down the government over. | Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said on Fox News there were other ways to secure his demand and deliver on a signature campaign promise — one that Mr. Trump previously said was willing to shut down the government over. |
| She said the administration has a “number of different funding sources we could use” to reach $5 billion, suggesting that the money could be found for border security in the spending bills still pending in Congress. But she also conceded that the administration could settle for the highest number offered by congressional Democrats — $1.6 billion — in a Homeland Security spending bill that already contains about $26 billion in all for border security. | She said the administration has a “number of different funding sources we could use” to reach $5 billion, suggesting that the money could be found for border security in the spending bills still pending in Congress. But she also conceded that the administration could settle for the highest number offered by congressional Democrats — $1.6 billion — in a Homeland Security spending bill that already contains about $26 billion in all for border security. |
| That $1.6 billion offer from the Democrats expressly prohibits the additional border money to be used on a wall. | That $1.6 billion offer from the Democrats expressly prohibits the additional border money to be used on a wall. |
| “That’s something that we would be able to support,” Ms. Sanders said, “as long as we can couple that with other funding resources that would help us get to the $5 billion.” | “That’s something that we would be able to support,” Ms. Sanders said, “as long as we can couple that with other funding resources that would help us get to the $5 billion.” |
| She added: “At the end of the day, we don’t want to shut down the government, we want to shut down the border.” | She added: “At the end of the day, we don’t want to shut down the government, we want to shut down the border.” |
| It was not immediately clear what Ms. Sanders was referring to, but in a midday meeting Tuesday with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, proposed a measure that would allocate $1.6 billion for border security apart from Mr. Trump’s wall, plus about $1 billion for the president to spend as he saw fit on immigration, according to a senior Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were confidential. | |
| Democrats would reject that plan given that it includes a “slush fund,” the aide said. | |
| The quickening pace of negotiations was a marked contrast to the past seven days. Only a week ago, Mr. Trump publicly castigated Senator Schumer and Representative Nancy Pelosi of California in a televised Oval Office meeting where he vowed to shut down the government if Democrats refused to allocate money for the wall. He proclaimed himself “proud to shut down the government for border security.” | |
| Ms. Sanders’ suggestion — one so far not publicly reiterated by the president — may be no more than the latest development in a budgetary battle marked by fizzling negotiations and lawmakers wary of approaching the president with legislation that he will not sign. | Ms. Sanders’ suggestion — one so far not publicly reiterated by the president — may be no more than the latest development in a budgetary battle marked by fizzling negotiations and lawmakers wary of approaching the president with legislation that he will not sign. |
| Senator Jon Tester of Montana, the top Democrat on the committee that negotiated the spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security, rebuffed Ms. Sanders’s claim that other funds could be used to reach the $5 billion mark. | |
| “If you’ve got that kind of cushion in your budget and you don’t need that money, use it to pay down the debt,” he said. | |
| “We gave him what he wanted,” Mr. Tester added, referencing the administration’s formal request for $1.6 billion. “He ought to take it.” | |
| Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said negotiations are ongoing ahead of the midnight Friday deadline, after which much of the government runs out of money. | |
| “We’ve got a lot of parties involved, and we’ve got to thread the needle,” Mr. Shelby said. | “We’ve got a lot of parties involved, and we’ve got to thread the needle,” Mr. Shelby said. |
| Republican congressional leaders expressed bewilderment on Monday about whether a deal could be reached to continue funding the government past the Friday deadline, and what Mr. Trump’s intentions were. | Republican congressional leaders expressed bewilderment on Monday about whether a deal could be reached to continue funding the government past the Friday deadline, and what Mr. Trump’s intentions were. |
| “I think it will all work out, but I don’t know of a specific plan,” said Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican, emerging from a meeting of the party’s Senate leaders on Monday evening. | “I think it will all work out, but I don’t know of a specific plan,” said Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican, emerging from a meeting of the party’s Senate leaders on Monday evening. |
| Asked what the most likely vehicle would be for resolving the impasse, Mr. Cornyn said: “Believe it or not, there is no leading contender.” | Asked what the most likely vehicle would be for resolving the impasse, Mr. Cornyn said: “Believe it or not, there is no leading contender.” |
| Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the third-ranking Republican, was similarly stumped. Asked what Mr. Trump’s thinking was about averting a shutdown, he said: “I’ve not seen any recent revelation on that.” | Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the third-ranking Republican, was similarly stumped. Asked what Mr. Trump’s thinking was about averting a shutdown, he said: “I’ve not seen any recent revelation on that.” |
| “There are so many permutations of how this could end,” Mr. Thune added. “At the moment, we’re like everybody else, waiting to see if a deal can be struck.” | “There are so many permutations of how this could end,” Mr. Thune added. “At the moment, we’re like everybody else, waiting to see if a deal can be struck.” |
| But on Tuesday, Mr. Shelby struck a more optimistic tone. | But on Tuesday, Mr. Shelby struck a more optimistic tone. |
| “There’s hope,” he said. “People are listening to each other, but that could stop.” | “There’s hope,” he said. “People are listening to each other, but that could stop.” |