US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday blocked a move by the chamber's Democrats to initiate a vote on spending bills, aimed, as they claimed, to reopen the government.
Reacting to the two proposed funding bills, the Senate majority leader objected, saying that "political stunts are not going to get us anywhere." As McConnell explained, he would not take up any bill related to the shutdown in the Senate that US President Donald Trump won't sign.
"The last thing we need to do right now is trade pointless, absolutely pointless, show votes back and forth across the aisle," he stated, addressing the issue.
McConnell supports President Donald Trump's initiative to build a wall on the US-Mexico border. He once again presented his argument before the chamber by saying that Democrats were supporting the idea of a border barrier proposed by the Obama administration.
McConnell echoed Trump's view on the shutdown, placing blame on the Democrats who, in his opinion, are not willing to negotiate.
READ MORE: US Border Wall Prototypes Reportedly Fail Tests, Photo Shows They Can Be Sawed
Trump’s most recent talks with Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday night unravelled after the president walked out of the meeting, calling it a complete waste of time.
READ MORE: Neither Trump's Speech nor the Democrats Response Will End the Shutdown
Pelosi Calls on Trump to Open Up Government, Discuss US Border Security
Meanwhile, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Trump to find common ground with Democrats on the issue of border security and open up the federal government.
"Open up the government. Let’s have this discussion where we can agree on the best ways to secure our borders," Pelosi said in a message to Trump during her weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill.
Pelosi claimed Trump continues to put obstacles in the path of a solution to the impasse over funding for building a wall on the US border with Mexico.
"I don’t think he really wants a solution. I think he loves the distraction that this is from his other problems, and that’s most unfortunate," Pelosi said.
The speaker explained that in order to end the partial government shutdown, Democrats are willing to provide the US Department of Homeland Security with the exact funding that it asked for in the budget.
"But [the White House] has moved the goal post," Pelosi said.
At the moment, Trump is visiting the southern US border to drum up support for his demand for $5.7 billion to build a border wall there in a bid to tackle illegal migration.
READ MORE: 'If Shutdown Continues, I Won't Go' — Trump May Skip Davos
