Congress has shutdown aversion but deal-breakers loom

Earlier this month, one administration official told RCP that “no one here or on the Hill has any interest in having a showdown at the OK Corral.” Multiple sources confirmed Thursday that this remains the prevailing sentiment among congressional Republicans and the administration.

“There are definitely some in the White House who would want a showdown over border wall stuff,” said one Republican operative familiar with the ongoing talks, “but I think the people in charge do not want a fight and are okay with keeping the government open. They understand the importance of that.”

Likewise, congressional Democrats are hoping to avoid a shutdown showdown. But they also enjoy weighty leverage in funding negotiations: The administration would need support from Senate Democrats to pass any measure funding the government, while Republicans might take the blame if a shutdown occurs. In that vein, Democrats have pursued negotiations with their Republican counterparts in Congress while making clear that, in their view, only late intervention from the administration could scuttle the progress.

“I think there’s … quiet agreement in the four corners, that if the president doesn’t interfere and insist on poison-pill amendments to be shoved down the throat of Congress, we can come up with an agreement,” Schumer said earlier this week, referencing the leaders of each party in the two chambers.