Top Congressional leaders met to discuss the delayed spending bills for the current fiscal year. Reporting shows that talks have shifted from partisan sniping to guarded optimism through options for the next stopgap bill. Following this week’s negotiations, Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala) has said the next stopgap is more likely to run only until next month, instead of the previously reported longer-term resolution. The top four appropriators from both chambers will meet during the week of November 11 to discuss the spending allocations for the bills need for FY2020, which are already overdue.