Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Tuesday urged Democrats to accept President Donald Trump's offer to reopen the government, telling his colleagues "the opportunity to end all this is staring us right in the face."
"That's why we'll vote on this legislation on the Senate floor this week," McConnell said during a speech on the Senate floor. "All that needs to happen is for our Democratic colleagues to agree that it's time to put the country ahead of politics, take 'yes' for an answer and vote to put this standoff behind us."
The partial government shutdown, which entered its 32nd day Tuesday, has forced approximately 800,000 federal employees to work without pay or be furloughed. Trump over the weekend announced he would trade protections for DACA recipients for $5.7 billion in border wall funding.
The plan was quickly rejected by Democrats.
"To reject this proposal, Democrats would have to prioritize political combat with the president ahead of federal works, ahead of DACA recipients, ahead of border security and ahead of stable and predictable government funding," McConnell said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called attempts to blame Democrats for the shutdown unrealistic and said the American people "know that President Trump is responsible for the shutdown and now they have learned that Leader McConnell is a co-conspirator in the shutdown."
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