WASHINGTON — As the government shutdown becomes the longest in American history, bipartisan discussions in the Senate are gaining steam as lawmakers work to find a way out of the gridlock. They hope it could come as early as this week.

As an appropriator, U.S. Sen. Kate Britt, R-Ala., is playing a key role in conversations with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle as they search for an off-ramp to the “logjam” that’s plagued Congress for the past 36 days.

“I spent five and a half hours on the phone Friday, everything from Democrats to Republicans to White House, trying to forge a pathway forward,” Britt told Alabama Daily News.

“Same thing, calls on Saturday, calls on Sunday, yesterday…trying to figure out how do we make this happen. It is my goal to move this this week,” she added

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