Reuters says U.S. senators made a new try at ending a partial month-long government shutdown through a temporary funding bill on January 24, but President Donald Trump demanded a “down payment” for a border wall that Democrats reject.
After the Republican-led Senate failed to advance two measures to reopen shuttered agencies, Democratic and Republican lawmakers spoke on the Senate floor and urged quick passage of a three-week, stopgap funding bill to create time for talks on border security.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said such a measure would only work "if there is a large down payment on the wall."
But a spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Senate Democrats had made clear to Republicans that "they will not support funding for the wall."
The shutdown has reportedly left 800,000 federal workers without pay and struggling to make ends meet, as the effects on government services and the economy reverberate nationwide.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll reportedly found more than half of Americans blamed Trump for the shutdown even as he has sought to shift blame to Democrats after saying last month he would be "proud" to close the government for border security.
