President Donald Trump invited Democratic and Republican leaders at the White House on Friday in a new bid to end the two-week government shutdown over his demand for funding for a border wall with Mexico.
But a quick end to the stalemate does not appear to be in sight as Democrats, who now control the House of Representatives, appear to be in no mood to make concessions.
“We’re not doing a wall,” Representative Nancy Pelosi said after being sworn in as the new House speaker on Thursday.
Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate, and House and Senate Republican leaders were to meet with Trump at the White House on Friday morning for another round of talks.
They also met behind closed doors at the White House on Wednesday but made little headway on ending the impasse, which has left more than 800,000 federal workers furloughed or working without pay since December 22.
Both Democrats and Republicans have attempted to pin the blame for the shutdown on the other side.
Pelosi described the wall as an “immorality” while once again flatly rejecting Trump’s insistence on $5.6 billion for the southern barrier.
“It’s an old way of thinking,” she said.
“It…
