Budget negotiations in Congress appear to be making progress after Democrats agreed to separate spending talks from immigration reform negotiations.  The government was shut down last Friday after Democrats refused to support a temporary funding measure that included a DACA deal.  However, by Monday afternoon, Senate Democrats allowed for the re-opening of the federal government as Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) told reporters Senate Democrats will allow the budget talks to progress while holding separate negotiations for DACA.  

This concession provided Republicans with enough votes from moderate Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold in the Senate to reach cloture.  The current temporary spending measure will fund the government through February 8, 2018, at which point Congress is expected to pass another Continuing Resolution (CR).  Shortly thereafter Congress is expected to reach an agreement to raise the budget caps for defense and domestic programs which will allow lawmakers to finalize the budget for Fiscal 2018.