The Congressional Democrats have refused an invitation from Donald Trump to attend a lunch meeting at the White House. The president is looking to build support for his border wall without Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. The White House has indicated that no rank-and-file House Democrats will attend the lunch designed at trying to end a record-setting partial government shutdown. It highlighted the new strategy limits of the White House of trying to bypass Democratic leaders to bolster Trump’s position after requesting $5.7 billion in funds to construct the wall on the U.S-Mexico border.
The White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also said that 9 House Republicans will attend the lunch meeting. She added that the president is looking forward to having a working lunch with House Republicans to solve the border crisis and reopen the government.
Sanders added, “The president has a proposal on the table that includes additional technology at ports of entry, allows minors from Central America to seek asylum in their home country, and physical barriers between ports of entry made of steel instead of concrete. Today, the president offered both Democrats and Republicans the chance to meet for lunch at the White House. Unfortunately, no Democrats will attend”.
Democrats have refused to agree to the funding and offering $1.3 billion for general border security. Party leadership has called on the president to open the government during negotiations. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi gave her blessing for Democrats to attend the lunch meeting if they wished. The leading Democrats in the U.S Senate, Pelosi and Schumer have met several times with Trump during the shutdown. Trump walked out of their most recent meeting. Representative Jim Cooper of Tennessee said that legislators invited to the White House were said to include centrists from districts where Trump is famous.