A day before Congress ties its record for the longest government shutdown, some senators appeared no more optimistic about the chances of ending the current standoff between parties in order to open the government back up.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said there’s been some rumblings in the Senate on a possible agreement to end the shutdown -- that Democrats would open the government if Republicans agree to pass three appropriations bills that address longer-term funding bills.
Kennedy largely brushed off the idea, saying that because the exchange doesn’t directly address health care, which is the Democrats’ red line in the standoff, he doesn’t see how it would be a formidable compromise.
The Capitol is seen on day 34 of the government shutdown, in Washington, Nov. 3, 2025.J. Scott Applewhite/AP“There's a movement on the Senate floor to try to get Democrats' agreement to open it up in exchange for us passing three of the approps bills. I don't know if that'll work or not. It's got nothing to do with health insurance. You can, you can agree on approps bills, but, but that still doesn't solve the health insurance problem,” Kennedy said.
He also noted that any appropriations bill would likely he to be “blessed” by Trump in order to be factored into a compromise.
Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., shot down the idea that Republicans and Democrats are coming to the table in order to negotiate the end of the shutdown.
“What I know so far is the Republicans he agreed to negotiate so far exactly zero times. Donald Trump and the Republicans need to come to the negotiating table. We can sit down and talk, as has happened in every other government shutdown, sit down and talk, and then we can achieve a deal. That's how negotiations work,” Warren said coming out of the Capitol on Monday.
“But Mr. ‘Art of the Deal’ doesn't seem to understand that. He thinks he can bend reality. He thinks he can use hungry children as a bargaining chip against Democrats,” she added. “It's only Democrats who care whether or not seniors go hungry. Well, it is Democrats who care, and it's Americans who care. Republicans should come to the table and negotiate.”
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie