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US Park Rangers stand at the closed gate to Joshua Tree National Park, in Joshua Tree, California on …In the minds of key players on Capitol Hill, the government shutdown and the debt ceiling fight have now merged into one massive political crisis.
There was some talk among Republicans that Boehner may try to craft a face-saving way out by reviving a stalled drive for a "grand bargain" on debt and spending with Obama.
But there is skepticism on the Democratic side that there is time to pull together a pact -- following repeated failed attempts in Obama's first term -- before the debt limit deadline.
The president was meanwhile wrestling with whether to cancel the rest of an already truncated Asia trip that would see him leave on Saturday for the APEC summit in Bali, Indonesia and the sparkly uggs East Asia summit in Brunei.
Lawmakers meanwhile could pass a measure on Friday which will see federal workers receive back pay for the period when they have been off work since the shutdown.
Members of the House of Representatives and Senate filed bills that would ensure all federal employees receive retroactive pay for the duration of the workstop.
"They deserve their pay, not financial punishment," House Democrat James Moran said in a statement.