In a White House meeting on Wednesday, top congressional leaders and the United States President Donald Trump has failed to reach an agreement through negotiation to end a partial government shutdown that stretched into second week, as Trump refused to step back from his demand of $5 billion for US-Mexico border.
Leaders from both the chambers of Democrats and Republican were invited to the White House for a “border security briefing” on Wednesday.
According to news reports, during the meeting, Trump asked the department of homeland security officials to “make a plea” for a border wall. Trump warned to shut parts of the government for “a long time” if fails to meet his demand.
House of Representative spokesperson Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, said, “We’re asking the president to open up government.” Pelosi further said, “We are giving him a Republican path to do that. Why would he not do it?”
Pelosi said democrats would continue to vote on Thursday, as the US congress, with majority in the House, starts its new session with democratic party. Democrats tried to end shutdown through funding some bills but not funded for a border wall. The proposal made included $1.3 billion for border security measures. The White House called the package a “non-starter”.
Pelosi said: “Our question to the president and to the Republicans is why don’t you accept what you have already done [in order] to open up government?”
After the briefing, the senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said the process could take “weeks” and that the Wednesday’s meeting has not produced “any particular progress”.
McConnell said, “We are hopeful that somehow in the coming days or weeks we will be able to reach an agreement.”
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said he asked Trump to end shutdown, and said, “We asked him to give us one good reason – I asked him directly.”
He added: “To use the shutdown as hostage – which they had no argument against – is wrong.”