Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSessions: 'We should be like Canada' in how we take in immigrants NSA spying program overcomes key Senate hurdle Overnight Finance: Lawmakers see shutdown odds rising | Trump calls for looser rules for bank loans | Consumer bureau moves to revise payday lending rule | Trump warns China on trade deficit MORE (R-Ky.) called on Democrats Saturday to reopen the federal government and resume negotiations on immigration, spending caps and children’s health funding.
“I would invite all of my colleagues across the aisle to join together and do what is obviously responsible,” he said on the Senate floor, shortly after the chamber convened for the first day of the shutdown.
“Let’s resume the bipartisan discussion on funding, our troops, DACA, on government spending and all of the other priorities that all of us can work together to resolve,” he said, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that President Trump
Donald John TrumpDems flip Wisconsin state Senate seat Sessions: 'We should be like Canada' in how we take in immigrants GOP rep: 'Sheet metal and garbage' everywhere in Haiti MORE rescinded in September, which leaves hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the country illegally as children potentially facing deportation.
McConnell has called on Democrats to pass a three-week funding measure to reopen the government and keep federal agencies running until Feb. 8. He says lawmakers need at least that much time to negotiate a longer-term spending bill and immigration deal.
He accused Democrats of manufacturing a crisis for political gain.
“Low-income families across America woke up today without the knowledge that their children’s health care is safe, all because the Democratic leader filibustered a bipartisan compromise that a majority of senators supported and chose instead a government shutdown,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer
Charles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerDemocrats will need to explain if they shut government down over illegal immigration White House: Trump remarks didn't derail shutdown talks Schumer defends Durbin after GOP senator questions account of Trump meeting MORE (D-N.Y.) objected to the three-week continuing resolution in the wee hours of Saturday morning. He instead called for a summit meeting with Trump and congressional leaders later in the day to negotiate a deal more quickly.
Trump has not accepted the invitation for a meeting, but he did speak to McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan
Paul Davis RyanGOP leaders pitch children's health funding in plan to avert shutdown Lawmakers see shutdown’s odds rising Fix what we’ve got and make Medicare right this year MORE (R-Wis.) about the shutdown earlier in the day and dispatched several White House aides to discuss the situation on Capitol Hill.
"We are committed to making sure the American people, especially our great military and the most vulnerable children are taken care of," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. However, Trump appears less open to negotiating on the issues McConnell named.
"The president will not negotiate on immigration reform until Democrats stop playing games and reopen the government," she continued.
The government shut down at midnight, after the Senate voted largely along party lines to defeat a month-long House spending bill that would have kept the government open, funded the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years and delayed several ObamaCare taxes.
Sen. Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin GrahamDHS chief takes heat over Trump furor Overnight Defense: GOP chair blames Dems for defense budget holdup | FDA, Pentagon to speed approval of battlefield drugs | Mattis calls North Korea situation 'sobering' Bipartisan group to introduce DACA bill in House MORE (S.C.), one of four GOP senators who voted against the House-passed, four-week spending proposal, said Saturday morning that he would support McConnell’s proposal for a three-week stopgap.
“I would support such a proposal. I also agree with Sen. McConnell we are close to a resolution on all these issues,” he said.
Graham said he is confident a three-week stopgap will pass the Senate if McConnell promises to bring an immigration bill to the Senate floor under an open amendment process after Feb. 8.
“I’m confident we can find a solution to Border Security/DACA once we start the process,” he said. “Success on this will lead to a breakthrough on all other issues.”