Welcome back. It is day 30 of the federal government shutdown and after a month of deadlock and stalemate, there is still no clear path to reopening the government anytime soon. But there are some fuzzy paths potentially emerging as lawmakers say talks are happening between rank and file members on both sides of the aisle about trying to end the current mess by focusing on a bigger and broader and hopefully bipartisan appropriations process.But how quickly, if at all, those talks produce any actual concrete ...

Joining us now, vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington. All right, I want to get you first on what Burgess Everett was reporting a moment ago. Uh, and that was positive vibes coming out of the Appropriations Committee.What can you tell us about that. >> Well, what I can tell you is conversations are really important and Democrats want our country and our government to work for people and that includes the appropriations process. But the fact of the matter i ...

Government Shutdown Stance - Senate Republicans advocate for a nonpartisan, clean continuing resolution to fund the government for 7 weeks, allowing time for annual appropriations [2][3][6] - Republicans express willingness to discuss other issues, but not while the government is held "hostage" [4] - Shutdowns are viewed as detrimental, with the American people and federal workers being the primary losers [10] - Republicans believe Democrats are playing with fire and the far-left activist base is driving the shutdown [21][24] Healthcare Debate - Republicans claim Democrats want to provide healthcare to undocumented immigrants, which they oppose [14] - Republicans allege that some states, like California, have exploited loopholes to use federal funding (Medicaid) to cover illegal immigrants, with California's spending in this area exceeding $30 billion [17][18] Executive Branch Actions - The Trump administration is expected to prioritize spending based on political priorities during the shutdown [22] - The White House is perceived as seeking more power during the showdown, potentially targeting blue states by blocking funds for infrastructure projects [19][20]