Amid the longest government shutdown in US history, President Trump sounds ready to practice the art of the deal—or to let Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer do it for him. After two rival plans to reopen the government failed in the Senate on Thursday, the president said he would support a "reasonable agreement" if the Senate leaders came up with one, the Hill reports. Trump, who has been holding out for $5.7 billion in border wall funding, said Thursday that he was looking at alternatives and would accept a bipartisan plan if it included "some sort of pro-rated down payment on the wall," though Nancy Pelosi described the proposal as "not a reasonable" one.
McConnell and Schumer met briefly after the Thursday votes in the Senate, but senators remained unsure what shape any deal might take, the Washington Post reports. GOP Sen. Jerry Moran said the president has told lawmakers "he is willing to have negotiations occur and look at additional ideas." He said he has not heard talk in recent days of securing wall funding by declaring a national emergency, Politico reports. Other Republicans, however, say an emergency declaration is still on the table, and CNN reports that a draft proclamation was prepared at least a week ago. According to White House aides, Trump plans to make a counteroffer after House Democrats hold a press conference Friday. (On Wednesday, Trump agreed to postpone his State of the Union address until after the shutdown.)
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