Shutdown enters third day with no urgency to reopen govt

As the partial US government shutdown enters a third day, lawmakers have left Washington for the Christmas holiday with no sign of urgency to resolve the fight over President Donald Trump's demand for border wall money. Unlike shutdowns of the past, Congress and the White House aren't racing to reopen the government. Offices of congressional leaders who are responsible for negotiating with the president are shuttered as Trump remains at the White House after canceling a trip to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Previous government closures have put Washington in crisis mode with round-the-clock talks, strategy sessions and public posturing. Not so, this time. The next possibility for votes in the House and Senate is on Dec. 27, but Democrats have indicated the two sides are far from a deal. If there's no agreement, many lawmakers won't return until the new session of Congress starts on Jan. 3, when Democrats take control of the House.

“It's very possible that the shutdown will go beyond the 28th and into the new Congress,” White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said on “Fox News Sunday.” The top Democrat in the House, Nancy Pelosi of California, made a similar prediction. “Until President Trump can publicly commit to a bipartisan resolution, there will be no agreement before January when the new House Democratic Majority will swiftly pass legislation to reopen government,” the California lawmaker, who is likely to become House speaker on Jan. 3, said in a letter Saturday to fellow Democrats.