The White House issued perhaps their most clarifying statement yet regarding the government shutdown Saturday afternoon. They said there will be no deal on DACA until the government reopens. “We continue to remain anxious to reach a deal on DACA, and we look forward to resuming those negotiations as soon as the senate Democrats reopen the government,” said White House legislative affairs director Marc Short.
Short also said that the White House is ready to sign a continuing resolution that would fund the government until February 16 that the House passed Friday night. That bill failed in the Senate as Democrats and handful of Republicans voted it down.
The president criticized Democrats early on Saturday on Twitter, writing that they are more concerned with illegal immigrants than with national security. The president said Democrats could have easily made a deal to keep the government open but are choosing to play “shutdown politics” instead.
Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, in turn, criticized the president for reneging on promises made during negotiations with Democrats on immigration over the past several weeks. He said negotiating with President Trump is like “negotiating with Jell-O.”