Article snippet: MORE's proposed border wall is looming as a central obstacle to passing spending bills by a December deadline. The top appropriators in the House and Senate have already struck an agreement ahead of Thanksgiving on how to divide $1.37 trillion in annual spending among 12 bills. But lawmakers still need to agree on how to deal with the border wall -- a top issue for Trump that precipitated a government shutdown last year. With just 15 legislative days between the Thanksgiving recess and a deadline of Dec. 20 to pass the spending bills, appropriators will face long odds to avoid another shutdown unless they punt on the issue with a continuing resolution (CR). “It takes some time just to get that bill written by the staff, so we’re running out of time,” warned Rep. Mario Diaz-Ballart (R-Florida). The process of passing 12 annual spending bills has already stretched months beyond the October 1 start of the new fiscal year, and despite a deal on allocations, thorny issues such as the wall remain. “We reached the agreement on numbers, but each individual subcommittee is going to be charged with making decisions within their bill. We did not prejudge any of those,” a Democratic aide said, alluding to the wall. Trump is loath to back down on a central campaign promise, and has seen conservatives turn on him in the past when he was ready to compromise on the issue. Meanwhile, Democrats, many of whom were elected to be a check on Trump, see their political fortunes tied to... Link to the full article to read more