By David Morgan and Bo Erickson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Senate Democrats moved to center stage in the U.S. government shutdown drama on Thursday, as they met behind closed doors to consider what the chamber’s top Republican said was an offer to reopen shuttered federal agencies as early as this weekend.

On the 37th day of the longest shutdown in U.S. history, lawmakers said they hoped that informal talks between Democrats and Republicans would lead to a short-term agreement to reopen the government that would also give Congress time to enact full-year appropriations bills and potentially address expiring tax credits to help lower-income Americans pay for private health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

A short-term bill to fund federal agencies through November 21 has failed 14 tim

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