Government shutdown: McConnell offers no clues for how Senate gets stopgap spending bill to Trump by midnight

One hardline conservative and one hardline liberal have Washington careening towards a lapse in government funding at midnight

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave no indication the government will not shutdown at midnight. (Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell offered no clues for how the chamber might convince Senators Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders to drop demands that have put Washington on the brink of a government shutdown.

The Kentucky Republican only briefly mentioned the need to pass a House-approved stopgap spending measure and get it to Donald Trump before midnight during his opening remarks on Friday.

The chamber’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, also provided no plan for potentially assuaging Mr Paul and Mr Sanders.

Mr Paul is holding up a massive Pentagon policy measure over language that puts strings on a president’s ability to bring home deployed forces from abroad, and Mr Sanders is demanding Congress and Mr Trump approve new stimulus checks to help Americans struggling financially over the Covid-19 pandemic.

Government funding will lapse at midnight if the Senate is unable to take-up the one-week spending measure the House overwhelmingly approved earlier this week.

Check out The Independent’s in-depth report on the government shutdown threat here.