Senate Republicans are close to cutting a deal with their Democratic counterparts to avoid a government shutdown and rein in a proposed rule from the White House budget office that would give Trump appointees more power to withhold congressional appropriations, according to senators familiar with the negotiations. Democratic negotiators say they're working on a deal with Collins and other Republicans to add language to the government funding stopgap to restrict the White House budget office's rulemaking. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in writing a letter to the White House budget director, demanding the proposed rule be rescinded. "I am hoping it goes away," Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) said of the White House budget office's proposed rule to overhaul the federal grantmaking process. Advertisement Advertisement"I think the White House would push back pretty hard if this provision was added to the CR.