Meanwhile, some GOP senators are pointing to a March 23 spending bill as a new goal post.

"I don't know when it's going to be. Obviously we're going to have to deal with the DACA issue probably on the [omnibus] because of what has happened ... and extend it,” Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) told reporters, referring to the spending bill.

He added that he expected the mammoth spending bill could include a three-year extension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, but that it “may be longer.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the No. 2 Senate Republican, also wouldn’t rule out sticking a short-term extension paired with some border security funding in the omnibus.

“If there can be some negotiation leading up to the omnibus, perhaps there will be some temporary provision, which to me is not great but it’s kind of where we are,” he said.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.), the Democratic whip, delivered a similar message, saying the DACA issue should be dealt with long before Congress is forced to return to the issue of government spending, which expires March 23.

“The Speaker said he’s going to address this issue,” Hoyer said. “He’s got four legislative days left to do that before the fifth of March, and he hasn’t done anything.”

Meanwhile, members of the Senate bipartisan group said they would continue talking among themselves about how to win over more support.

"We're going to look at what Republicans and Democrats might be able to support in the future. ... It's a matter of bringing in more ... colleagues to clarify the concerns that they have [and] we need to be able to answer them,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the group.

But he appeared to leave the door open to return to immigration if a bill emerged that could do what has so far been impossible: Unite Congress and the White House.

“This does not have to be the end of our efforts to resolve these matters,” he said. “I would encourage members to put away the talking points and get serious about finding a solution that can actually become law.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3...amers-to-march