Incoming House Democrats in Congress have put forth a reasonable plan to end the government shutdown and still leave negotiating room with President Donald Trump on border security.

The Democratic plan maintains border security funding at $1.3 billion and funds the Department of Homeland Security until Feb. 8. A second proposal would fund agencies like Transportation, Agriculture and Commerce until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Trump should respond in kind and drop his demands for an excessive $5 billion in “border wall” funding.

Trump is partially correct in that Democrats at various times and in varying forms have favored spending more money on border security. So the devil is in the details and the agreements both sides are willing to support.

The Democrats two bills to fund various parts of the government include proposals that have already been agreed to with bipartisan support in the Senate. The Democrats are willing to negotiate separately with Trump on border funding.

On the Senate side, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham has said a potential deal is possible with Trump getting more funding for border security in exchange for a law that would protect the children of immigrants often referred to as “dreamers” from being deported.

Graham stated the obvious to CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday saying both sides have to keep talking. Graham told Politico that he was “not asking anybody to do something new,” but rather to “rearrange the deal that was offered before.”

In fact, the Senate had earlier passed a stopgap funding bill with the support of Republicans and Democrats that Republicans thought Trump would sign. He didn’t and the shutdown gambit grew more serious.

While Republicans are calling the House proposal by incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi a political game, it will put the pressure on Republicans mainly because it’s the same proposal every GOP senator supported last month.

The shutdown is getting more serious. The Smithsonian and the National Zoo will shut down today. The Office of Management and Budget said no federal workers can be paid for the Dec. 23 to Jan. 5 pay period until a shutdown is ended.

This situation is intolerable. Trump and Republicans should take up the Democrats’ offer and negotiate on border funding another day.

— Mankato Free Press, Jan. 1