WASHINGTON _ After weeks of keeping away from the battle over how to re-open shuttered government agencies, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday suddenly got involved, hosting a private meeting with a group of Republican senators hoping to end the impasse.
Should the shutdown continue Friday _ as it now appears likely _ the lack of funding for nine Cabinet agencies and several smaller departments would tie the 23-year-old record for the longest such closure.
Throughout the morning, senators shuttled in and out of McConnell's office. Nothing was resolved, but the talks with McConnell, known as the Senate's consummate dealmaker, were a sign GOP lawmakers were growing nervous about constituent reaction to the shutdown a day before some federal workers could find themselves without a paycheck.
