FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives for the Senate Republican weekly policy lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said he has not given up hope that the U.S. Congress will find a way to keep the government open, as short-term funding is set to run out and a fight over President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall is raising the possibility of a shutdown.

“We don’t know how long the discussion over the government funding issue is going to go on,” McConnell told reporters. “I can’t predict when an agreement will be reached. ... I’d still like to see a smooth ending here and I haven’t given up hope that’s what we’ll have.”