Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who has been holding up a $1 trillion spending measure that would fund much of the government through next September, said he believes both issues can be resolved “in the next few days.” 
 
 Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) likewise said that he and Reid have been in talks about how to move forward and that he is “confident and optimistic” about an agreement. “There’s no reason the government should shut down over this, and I expect all of us to do what’s necessary in order to do the people’s business and make sure it’s done before the end of the year.” 
 
 Overnight, House leaders advanced a spending bill that had been negotiated by Republicans and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee. Republicans say bipartisan negotiators have reached a deal on the spending bill. But they say the White House and Reid will not allow a final vote on the measure, holding the bill hostage and threatening a shutdown to increase Democratic leverage on the payroll tax issue. Senate Democrats say that the House bill is unacceptable and that they will vote against it, and the White House has said Obama would veto it.
– The gist of the articles coming out of Washington this evening suggests that lawmakers will manage to strike a spending deal before tomorrow's midnight deadline to avoid a shutdown. Also looking up are prospects for deals to extend the payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits, say the Washington Post, AP, Politico, and the Hill. Much of the optimism stems from the fact that lawmakers are managing not to snarl at each other in public, unlike yesterday. Some examples: Harry Reid: "We've done enough back and forth. ... We hope that we can come up with something that would get us out of here at a reasonable time in the next few days." John Boehner: "We can extend payroll tax relief for American workers, help create new jobs and keep the government running. And frankly, we can do it in a bipartisan way." Mitch McConnell: Pronounced himself "confident and optimistic." House Appropriations Committee Chair Hal Rogers, R-Ky: "Things are looking up and I am looking up."