Lawmakers, president meet over border security

A bipartisan group of congressional leaders will attend a border security briefing at the White House on Wednesday, which could amp up negotiations to end the partial government shutdown. Lawmakers have been unable to agree on a way to end the stalemate with President Donald Trump over his demand to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. But on Tuesday, the president asked Congress, “Let’s make a deal?”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., along with GOP Reps. Kevin McCarthy of California and Steve Scalise of Louisiana are expected to attend the afternoon briefing. On the Democratic side, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is expected to be elected speaker when Democrats take control of the House on Thursday, reportedly will attend.

In a tweet Tuesday, Pelosi called for Democrats to “quickly pass our plan to end the irresponsible #TrumpShutdown.” Democrats plan to vote on two spending bills Thursday to reopen the government. One of the bills includes six spending measures to fund agencies unrelated to immigration enforcement like the IRS and the Department of the Interior for the remainder of the fiscal year, ending Sept. 30. The other bill would fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8., but it maintains border security spending at $1.3 billion, with no money set aside for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday such a bill would be dead on arrival “because it fails to secure the border.” McConnell’s deputy chief of staff, Don Stewart, said the Senate would not approve anything the president will not support.