President Donald Trump is soon slated to be 5,000 miles from Washington talking soybeans and tariffs, possibly hamstringing any efforts to end the government shutdown.
With Republican and Democratic lawmakers digging into their positions about how to revive the federal machine, perhaps only presidential prodding could help end the funding stalemate. But as Trump prepares to leave for Asia late Friday night, the shutdown is set to roll on without a solution in sight.
“Given the power the president has over congressional Republicans, he is the key to how this shutdown ends,” G. William Hoagland, a former aide to Senate GOP leadership, said in a Wednesday email. “Being out of the country need not prevent negotiations going forward in his absence, but it is likely to further prolong any major agreement until he returns.
