Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says President Donald Trump’s proposal to increase border security through physical barriers “suits the reality on the ground” along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Speaking after Trump’s Oval Office address Tuesday, the Kentucky Republican said Trump’s plan “simply builds on earlier legislation” that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats supported in the past.
McConnell blamed the 18-day partial government shutdown on “Democrats’ refusal to negotiate” because of “partisan spite for the president.”
McConnell urged Democrats to “come to the table and help deliver a solution” to reopen the government.
Trump said in his speech that there is a “growing humanitarian and security crisis” at the southern border, although crossings have fallen in recent years.
