President Trump on Monday blasted Democrats for taking a junket to Puerto Rico during the shutdown.
“I’ve been here all weekend. A lot of the Democrats were in Puerto Rico celebrating something, maybe they were celebrating the shutdown,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House.
About 30 Democratic lawmakers spent the weekend in Puerto Rico for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC.
At the retreat in San Juan, Democratic lawmakers, their families and a bunch of lobbyists attended briefings on Hurricane Maria recover efforts, spent time on the beach and attended a special performance of the Broadway show “Hamilton.”
Mr. Trump has remained in Washington throughout the partial government shutdown, including canceling trips to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, for Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Negotiations to end the partial government shutdown were on hold Monday, as the partial shutdown extended into the 24th day.
It has become the longest in modern U.S. history.
The president said he thought Democrats were wavering in their opposition to his demand for $5.7 billions for a border fence.
“The Republicans are rock solid. We have to be taking care of our border,” he said. “We have a priority. It is the safety of our nation.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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