Congress has until Feb. 15 to get legislation to Trump's desk that would fund roughly a quarter of the government and resolve the stalemate on funding for a border wall. The president on Jan. 25 agreed to sign a three-week continuing resolution in exchange for Congress negotiating a deal on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding. He hasn't ruled out declaring a national emergency if the spending impasse is not resolved.

The acceleration of negotiations is a drastic turnaround from Monday, when the bicameral conference committee was off to a painfully slow start and had not, according to lawmakers, begun talking about "substance" yet.

But there were signs of progress on Thursday, when Shelby briefed Trump and Vice President Pence at the White House about the negotiations.

The Alabama Republican appeared optimistic after he returned from the White House, saying that if a deal stayed within the "parameters" he discussed with the president, he believed Trump would sign it.

Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Trump was noncommittal about the spending negotiations. "Both sides are moving along. We'll see what happens," he said at the White House. "We need border security. We have to have it. It's not an option. Let's see what happens." "Both sides are moving along. We'll see what happens," he said at the White House. "We need border security. We have to have it. It's not an option. Let's see what happens."

"If we can work within some of the parameters that we've talked about today … I think he would sign it," Shelby said. "And I think he's, from my perspective, been quite reasonable.""Just let them do their work, and then hopefully, that will get some good news in a short period of time," she told reporters.