The clock is ticking towards a federal government shutdown as Congress has yet to approve a spending bill. The main point of contention is the allotment of $5 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. At least one Ohio lawmaker is adamantly speaking against a shutdown.
Republican U.S. Senator Rob Portman has a bill that would take shutdowns off the table in future budget negotiations.
While Portman acknowledges the border wall has become a wedge to both sides, he’s hopeful about finding middle ground.
“There has to be some sort of a compromise where we would have some kind of border security be increased and you can still avoid shutting down government," Portman said.
Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown equated Trump’s stance on the border wall to a temper tantrum and said federal employees are relying on the government to stay open.
