As the holiday weekend approached, the White House and Senate Republicans were reportedly continuing talks about ways to end the partial government shutdown and avoid a default on the nation’s debt. A group of GOP senators met with President Obama for more than an hour on Friday.
House Republicans, meanwhile, continued down a different path and said late Friday afternoon they were still waiting for a response on an offer they made to the White House that would extend the debt limit deadline until the end of November and would also re-open the federal government – with strings attached.
“There will be some matters that we’re discussing now that would be added to that, hopefully,” House Appropriations Committee Chair Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) told Bloomberg News Friday. “I hope there’s specific matters but that’s under discussion.”
One compromise gaining bipartisan attention was proposed by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). The plan includes a six-month continuing resolution and a short-term debt ceiling increase. It also gives federal agencies flexibility to manage sequestration.
“The president listened carefully. He said that some of the elements were issues we could work on but he certainly did not endorse,” Collins told reporters after she discussed the plan with Obama. “It was a good exchange but it was an inconclusive exchange.”
