What Democrats have proposed
Democrats, meanwhile, haven’t shown any sign of caving to Trump’s demands on a border wall — and are continuing to take a series of relatively symbolic actions to put pressure on their Republican counterparts.
This week, House Democrats plan to pass four individual appropriations bills that would fund agencies that are not controversial, like the Treasury Department, the Interior Department, and the Agriculture Department.
Their actions are largely about party messaging: House Democrats already effectively passed these bills as part of a larger funding package that closely resembled legislation the GOP-controlled Senate approved last year. By bringing them up again and approving each bill one by one, Democrats are trying to hammer home the message that they’re actively working to address the shutdown while Republicans look like they’re standing by. Republicans, however, have said they aren’t interested in opening the government in a fragmented way,
Politico reports.
House Democrats’ actions come as pressure continues to grow on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — from Democrats as well as Republican leaders like Sens. Cory Gardner and Susan Collins — who are urging him to take up legislation that would reopen the government, even if it doesn’t provide the wall funding Trump has asked for.