Senate and House may be close to reaching an agreement to end the US government shutdown

House Republican representatives said on Saturday that they had no new proposals to end the US government shutdown, which is entering its third week. The Senate is now expected to take the lead on spending bill negotiations, which will hopefully lead to the reopening of non-essential federal agencies across the country.

According to USA Today, House Republicans announced they had no suggestions to offer the White House during a meeting this morning. Many Republican representatives, among them House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Representative Raul Labrador (R-ID), expressed hope for Republicans in the Senate to “stand up” and keep fighting for Republican interests.

With the Oct. 17 deadline for the US debt ceiling approaching; now it is more important than ever for Republicans and Democrats to reach a bipartisan agreement regarding the nation’s finances.

Although no agreement had been reached, Friday marked the first signs of progress towards both reopening the government and allowing the US to be able to pay its bills. The Los Angeles Times reports that while the White House did not agree to a proposal from House Republicans, it has opened the way for bipartisan budget and deficit reduction talks.

Even among lawmakers, there is hope that the government will soon reopen. Senator Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, expressed, “I just have a sense over the weekend some significant gelling is going to take place. Sometime over the next week—potentially as early as midweek—I think something could well happen that addresses the debt ceiling and CR [continuing resolution].”

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