As the government shutdown closes in on its third week, some members of the Trump administration believe that Democrats may soon be willing to come to the table.
Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, suggested that the end could be in sight for the government shutdown.
‘I think the Schumer shutdown is likely to end some time this week.’
In a CNBC interview, Hassett said, “A lot of our friends in the Senate have said that it was just bad optics for Democrats to open the government before the No Kings rally, and that now there’s a shot that this week things will come together and very quickly the moderate Democrats will move forward and get us an open government.”
The No Kings rallies, a series of feeble nationwide protests against the Trump administration, took place on Saturday. With this event in the rearview mirror, Hassett argued, Democrats may be ready to come to the table.
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Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“There are sort of cracks in the Schumer armor. I think the Schumer shutdown is likely to end some time this week,” Hassett said.
Democrats have similarly expressed hopes to reopen the government, but the entrenchment is far from over.
According to CBS News, Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said on Sunday during an interview on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” “We should be able to wrap this up this week if they will sit down and have a negotiation with us.”
However, it is unclear whether this prediction will be substantiated this week. Democrat holdouts have not publicly indicated any change in their demands, though some moderates have already sided with Republicans on a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government.
“Director Hassett is one of tens of millions of everyday Americans who are all hoping that Senate Democrats will do the right thing by ending their government shutdown. The American people deserve better than being left in the lurch because Democrats want to die on the hill of giving free health care to illegal immigrants,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Blaze News.
Editor’s note: This article has been edited after publication to include a comment from the White House.
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Politics, Chuck schumer, Government shutdown, Kevin hassett, White house, Republicans, Democrats, National economic council