Twenty-four days into the longest government shutdown in US history and with the White House and House Democrats no closer to a deal, pressure is ramping up on Senate Republicans to craft an exit plan that will get federal employees back to work and pull their party out of a deepening political quagmire.
In a sign that Republicans are increasingly concerned that the standoff over President Donald Trump's long-promised border wall is hurting their party, Senator Lindsey Graham, R, suggested temporarily reopening the government while continuing negotiations.
If talks don't bear fruit, Graham said, the President could consider following through on his threat to bypass Congress and build the wall along the US-Mexico border by declaring a national emergency.
"I would urge him to open up the government for a short period of time, like three weeks, before he pulls the plug," Graham said on Fox News.
"See if we can get a deal. If we can't at the end of three weeks, all bets are off. See if he can do it by himself through the emergency powers."