| By Ellen Mitchell and Rebecca Kheel All eyes will be on Congress in the coming week as GOP leaders look to gather the votes needed to avoid a government shutdown after Jan. 19. Lawmakers need yet another short-term spending measure after they passed a continuing resolution in December to fund the government through the end of Friday. But a major road block remains: Democrats insist that any increase in defense spending be matched with an equal increase in nondefense spending. GOP defense hawks, meanwhile, want a long-term spending measure rather than a stopgap bill, arguing that short-term spending hurts the military. Without the promise of a longer-funded Pentagon, the lawmakers say they will vote against the bill. Most defense hawks, though, voted for the last short-term measure in December. Adding to the pressure, Democrats could reject the spending bill if it doesn't protect nearly 800,000 young immigrants known as Dreamers from deportation. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Thursday that senators had come up with an agreement that paired a fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program with a border security package. But White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said later that day that a deal had not yet been reached. "However, we still think we can get there and we are very focused on trying to make sure that happens," she said during the daily media briefing. In addition to a possible shutdown, across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration will go into place if Congress can't reach a deal to raise budget caps. That deal – needed to fund the $700 billion National Defense Authorization Act - is looking unlikely before Friday. Next week also holds a number of think tank events and Congressional hearings, with both the House and Senate in session. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host a conversation with international ambassadors on "The View of the U.S. from Abroad" at 5 p.m. Tuesday at CSIS headquarters. http://bit.ly/2C5B9CT Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will speak about the 2018 national security landscape at the American Enterprise Institute at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. http://bit.ly/2D6dV40 The House Oversight Committee's national security subcommittee will hold a hearing on battlefield successes and challenges in the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Rayburn 2154. http://bit.ly/2r0yVUa The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the "State of the VA" at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Russell 418. http://bit.ly/2DnPU5d The House Foreign Affairs Committee will have joint subcommittee hearing on North Korea's chemical, biological and conventional weapons with testimony from outside experts at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Rayburn 2172. http://bit.ly/2CV3vju House Speaker Paul Ryan will speak about military readiness at 8:45 a.m. Thursday at CSIS. http://bit.ly/2CVXlQn Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson will testify before the House Armed Services Committee on surface warfare at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Rayburn 2118. http://bit.ly/2D7ETqY Recent stories: -- Trump waives Iran sanctions for what administration says is last time -- More than 100 lawmakers call on Trump to designate climate change a security threat -- Retired colonel on military sexual assault: 'God bless Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep' for raising issue -- State official indicates US military role in Syria post-ISIS centered on Iran -- Former launch officers urge Congress to curb Trump's nuclear powers -- Pentagon audit to cost $367M in 2018 -- US to sell Japan $133M in missiles to counter North Korea threat | 
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