Members of the all-Republican Arkansas congressional delegation had hoped to be home by now, spending time with family members and preparing for the holidays.
Instead they're stuck in Washington, trying to resolve another budget stalemate.
House members went home Friday evening without reaching a solution. They were scheduled to return today.
[RELATED: D.C. gridlock starts shutdown]
Late Friday, U.S. Rep. French Hill said all eyes are on the Senate.
"It's my hope that the senators can reach an agreement to keep the government open and do that this evening or ... in the morning so we minimize any impact from the government being shut down," the Republican from Little Rock said.
Originally, lawmakers were scheduled to leave town Dec. 14. The funding impasse scuttled those plans.
The delay is hardly a shock, according to Hill.
"In my view, Congress always waits till its deadlines to function. This is an issue that we've talked about for weeks, and many of us in the House urged action on this last week so that we would not run up against the deadline," he said.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman said he's not surprised that President Donald Trump was unwilling to accept $1.6 billion for border security.
It simply isn't enough funding, the Republican from Rogers said.
"I very much support the $5 billion," Boozman said. "[Trump] feels like it's very, very important. I feel like it's important. I think most Republicans ... and certainly a good portion of the country feels like it's important to spend the money."
The budgetary standoff will be resolved "at some point," Boozman said. "The question is can we reach a resolution quickly or not. I would very much like to do that."
If there's a lengthy shutdown, border patrol workers won't get paid, and average Americans will suffer, Boozman said.
It's important to secure the funding "in as timely a fashion as possible," he said.
"Hopefully, we'll be talking soon and saying, 'It's all over. The president's happy. We're happy. The nation's happy and starting off the new year right,'" Boozman added.
Other members of the delegation also emphasized the importance of securing border fencing.
In a meeting Thursday morning of the Republican House Conference, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack urged his colleagues to take a stand for border security, online news outlet Politico reported.
To emphasize his point, the Republican from Rogers read a quote from John Stuart Mill, the 19th-century British philosopher: "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse."
A spokesman for Womack said the lawmaker will stay in the capital as long as it takes to solve the problem.
"He's here until this is resolved, but is certainly hoping to spend Christmas with his wife and grandsons," Claire Burghoff said.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman noted that the House had already passed a funding bill that's acceptable to the president.
"The ball is in the Senate's court," the Republican from Hot Springs said in an email. "I would like to be home with my family for Christmas, but there is still work to do here."
A Section on 12/22/2018