"State of play: Thursday's caucus-wide meeting could potentially be decisive, aides told Axios but divisions in the party clearly remain. "I think it would be very strange if on the heels of the American people having rewarded Democrats for standing up and fighting, we surrendered without getting anything for the people we've been fighting for," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told Axios today. At least nine Senate Democrats, including Murphy, are privately urging their colleagues to hold out on the shutdown even longer, sources told Axios."
"In Tuesday's marathon caucus meeting, Murphy beseeched his fellow Democrats not to relent on their terms to reopen the government, sources told us. There was more drama on Wednesday, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) hijacking a press conference scheduled for Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y). "If it's just a piece of legislation that passes the Senate ... then it becomes a meaningless gesture," Sanders said."
Negotiations continued Wednesday without concrete steps to end the talking or begin voting, and a Thursday caucus-wide meeting could be decisive amid clear party divisions. Several senators, including Chris Murphy, urged holding out longer on the shutdown, with at least nine privately advocating delay. House Democrats warned of "hell to pay" if Senate Democrats compromise too quickly. The outlines of a deal emerged Monday, but fault lines persisted through marathon caucus discussions and dramatic moments such as Bernie Sanders interrupting a press conference to call a simple Senate bill a "meaningless gesture." Republicans' expected Friday resolution shifted to next week as Democrats weigh election results before finalizing any deal.
Read at Axios
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