The Senate will vote today on dueling proposals to reopen the government, as a raft of new polling data shows President Trump getting pummeled over the shutdown fight. The surveys: The Associated Press-NORC poll: Sixty percent say Trump bears a great deal of responsibility for the impasse, compared to 31 percent who blame Democrats. The president's approval rating sank 8 points month-over-month, to 34 percent positive. The Hill-Harris X poll: Trump's approval rating falls in third consecutive survey. CBS News poll: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has the edge over Trump in budget negotiations. Seventy percent say a border wall isn't worth shutting down the government over, including 43 percent of Republicans. The Morning Consult/Politico Poll: Trump disapproval rating hits record high of 57 percent. Trump's top economic adviser Kevin Hassett warned on Wednesday that U.S. economic growth could be zero percent this quarter if the shutdown lasts through March. Trump's acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is preparing for the shutdown to last into April, according to The Washington Post. Amid that backdrop, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will bring two government funding bills to the floor today, although neither is expected to get the necessary 60 votes for passage. The Senate will first vote on Trump's proposal to extend protections for some immigrants in the country illegally in exchange for the $5.7 billion he's requesting for a border wall. The second bill would open the government for three weeks, ostensibly to give lawmakers more time to negotiate over border wall money. "It's hard to imagine 60 votes developing for either one." — Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) While both bills appear doomed, the votes will be closely watched to see which party suffers more defectors and whether the results could spark new negotiations. The Hill: GOP seeks to chip away at Dem unity with shutdown votes. The Associated Press: Votes on Senate bills seen as progress even if they fail. Is there another way out? House Democrats are preparing a new proposal that would give Trump somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 billion for border security, as long as it's not used on a physical barrier (Reuters). Rep. James Clyburn (S.C.), the third ranking Democrat in the House, said the money could be used for "smart wall" technologies, such as drones and X-rays, as well as for additional border agents. It's unclear if Trump would go for something like that. The president has said he'll veto anything that doesn't include $5.7 billion specifically for a wall, but Republicans are sure to be citing Clyburn's remarks heading into the weekend. Meanwhile, a showdown over the State of the Union address ended late Wednesday when Trump agreed to postpone the speech in the House chamber until "the shutdown is over" (The Hill). The president struck a conciliatory tone heading into day 34 of the shutdown after Pelosi withdrew his invitation to address the House chamber. Trump had also considered options to speak from outside Washington. 
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Earlier in the day, Trump told Pelosi he intended to accept the Speaker's Jan. 3 invitation to address the American people on Tuesday. But the president appeared boxed in by Pelosi after she officially withdrew the offer, raising questions about when and where he would speak, and whether networks would cover the address. "The House of Representatives will not consider a concurrent resolution authorizing the president's State of the Union address in the House chamber until the government has opened." — Pelosi The House canceled votes on Friday, when the second pay period for 800,000 federal workers ends without compensation, making it almost certain the shutdown will drag on through Tuesday. 
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