With the government still shut down as the workweek began, President Trump took to Twitter to blame the Democrats.
“The Democrats are turning down services and security for citizens in favor of services and security for non-citizens. Not good!” he wrote.
He also accused them of using the shutdown to appease “their far left base.” “Democrats have shut down our government in the interests of their far left base. They don’t want to do it but are powerless!” Trump added.
The shutdown is heading into its third day.
Lawmakers are scheduled to hold a procedural vote at noon Monday on whether to advance a measure that would fund the government through Feb. 8.
The vote was moved from 1 a.m. ET Monday to noon after it became clear Democrats would block the spending bill over disagreements on a variety of issues, most notably what do about young people affected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas said he thought Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York agreed to push back the vote to give his caucus “a chance to chew” on a GOP proposal to break the impasse.
“It’s better to have a successful vote tomorrow at noon than a failed vote tonight,” Cornyn told reporters.
But a top Democratic leadership aide disputed Cornyn’s assertion and said unless Republicans make significant changes to their offer, Democrats will likely reject it when the vote comes. The Democratic aide did say, however, that progress was made in the lengthy negotiations that took place late Sunday night. But more talks are needed. (CNN)
“We have yet to reach an agreement on a path forward,” Schumer said late Sunday.
President Trump’s relationship with Democratic leadership, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, has taken a hit since the shutdown began, with Marc Short, the White House director of legislative affairs, telling Fox News it’s “probably deteriorating.” Still, he said Monday that much progress has been made.
“I feel like there’s been significant progress,” Short told CNN’s “New Day.”
“I think Democrats have moved significantly toward our position of the physical barriers that we’re asking for that actually the frontline officers at CBP have asked for,” he added. But Short didn’t stop short of criticizing Democrats over the “manufactured shutdown.”
“What’s hard for us to understand is why we’re having a manufactured shutdown when you’re having progress in negotiations and you’re shutting down the government over an issue that’s not in front of you in the actual bill to keep the government afloat.”
