Government shutdown, day three: Trump blames Democrats

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A U.S. government shutdown enters its third day after Senate negotiators fail to reach an agreement to restore federal spending authority. Newslook

WASHINGTON – President Trump kicked off day three of the government shutdown Monday by again attacking Democrats, claiming they oppose a new spending plan to help those who are in the country illegally.

"The Democrats are turning down services and security for citizens in favor of services and security for non-citizens. Not good!" Trump tweeted early Monday.

As White House aides monitor developments on Capitol Hill, they are also assessing Trump's schedule in light of the shutdown – including whether the president will attend a global economic summit in Davos, Switzerland, at the end of the week.

The longer the shutdown goes on, "it becomes more and more of a logistical challenge," said Marc Short, the White House legislative affairs director.

More: Government shutdown 2018 enters day 3: Will it end Monday?

More: Analysis: In shutdown impasse, the dealmaking president remains mostly on the sidelines

Foreign travel by president is not forbidden by the shutdown, however, and canceling the Davos trip would be Trump's choice.

The government shut down at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, after senators blocked a bill that would have kept the government funded for the next month, extended a children's health insurance program and delayed some health care taxes. The legislation came up with a vote of 50-49 – about 10 votes short of passing. Most Democrats and a handful Republicans voted against the bill. 

Democrats opposed the bill in part because it did not include legal protections for DREAMers, the undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. Trump gave Congress six months to find a replacement for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and Democrats say the president is now backing away from his commitment to find a solution to help protect some 800,000 young immigrants from deportation. 

"It all stems from the President, whose inability to clinch a deal has created the Trump Shutdown," said Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told CNN on Monday that "what brought us into this was the chaos of trying to negotiate with President Trump."

The Senate will try again Monday to resolve the impasse; Trump, meanwhile, does not have any events on his public schedule.

More: Senate adjourns without deal to end shutdown; Monday vote scheduled

Short said Republicans are lobbying Democratic senators from specific states. Targets include the four Democratic senators from Virginia and Maryland, the homes of hundreds of federal employees forbidden from working.

"The president stands ready to help out in any way he can," Short said.

With congressional elections slated for November, Trump and the Democrats accused each other of playing to their political base.

In a separate tweet, Trump said: "Democrats have shut down our government in the interests of their far left base. They don’t want to do it but are powerless!"