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Article snippet: It’s crunch time for lawmakers seeking to reach a deal on securing the border that would prevent the second partial government shutdown of 2019. Lawmakers warn they have just a matter of days to reach a deal that could then be considered by the House and Senate and signed by MORE by their Feb. 15 deadline. Without an agreement by then, about 25 percent of the government would again shut down. Negotiators say they face significant hurdles to reach a deal, including how much money to spend on physical barriers. “I hope that we will do our job. Will we? That’s the question of the hour,” said Sen. MORE (R-Ala.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Some lawmakers already have given up on the soft deadline they had set for Friday. Speaker MORE (D-Calif.) said that a deal essentially needed to be in place by then to give Congress time to consider it. Because of the House’s 72-hour rule, which requires that legislation be released three days before it receives a vote on the floor, congressional staff say Monday is the latest the group could finalize legislation without having to pass a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to avoid either a partial government shutdown or Trump feeling empowered to declare a national emergency. “I just don’t think we have enough time,” said Rep. MORE (R-Texas), the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee. “It’s just if the deadline is Friday it’s going to be very difficult,” she added, before expressing confidenc... Link to the full article to read more