Senator John Thune said Monday he was “optimistic” the Senate could vote to reopen the government by the end of the week.

“But if we don’t start seeing some progress or evidence of that by at least the middle of this week, it’s hard to see how we would finish anything by the end of the week,” the South Dakota Republican told reporters.

Asked if he was confident, he turned at the chamber doorway and said, “Don’t push it.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that a group of lawmakers is discussing “a path to fix the health care debacle” and seeking assurances from Republicans not to lay off additional federal workers. It remains unclear whether those talks will lead to a compromise.

GOP leaders are hoping some Democrats will eventually br

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