WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate convened for a rare Saturday session as the federal government shutdown extended into its 38th day, with no final deal yet reached to reopen shuttered agencies.
Lawmakers continued negotiating through the weekend amid mounting pressure from both parties to reach an agreement on a short-term spending plan. The extended shutdown has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay and disrupted a range of government operations.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell met multiple times with White House officials, but neither side announced a breakthrough. President Donald Trump has urged Congress to redirect federal health care subsidies toward direct payments to citizens, part of his broader call to overhaul Obamacare.