Democratic leaders emerged from a White House meeting Friday to say they won’t begin to negotiate on border security until the government shutdown is ended.
While insisting they do want to tackle border issues, they said the first step must be for Congress to approve bills to fund nine departments that have been out of money since Dec. 22.
“It’s very hard to see how progress will be made unless they open up the government,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer.
They want the Senate to pass a pair of bills that cleared the newly Democrat-controlled House on Thursday. Those bills would fund eight of the departments for the rest of the fiscal year, and fund Homeland Security for about a month — though no new border wall money is included.
Senate Republicans, who still control the upper chamber, have called that a non-starter and Mr. the White House has threatened a veto should that bill reach his desk.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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