Courier Journal

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would bring President Donald Trump's immigration proposal for a vote this week.

On Saturday, Trump announced a plan that offered protections for some undocumented immigrants in exchange for border wall funding.

In a statement, McConnell commended the president for "proposing this bold solution to reopen the government, secure the border, and take bipartisan steps toward addressing current immigration issues."

The Kentucky Republican has kept his head down as the partial government shutdown has reached nearly a month. The question "where's Mitch McConnell" even became a trending topic on Twitter last week as a handful of House Democrats scoured the halls of Congress with news cameras asking "where's Mitch?"

Read this:Where's Mitch? Why McConnell has been so quiet during historic shutdown

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Speaker Nancy Pelpsi, D-California, said the offer is a "non-starter." She said the deal is insufficient because it doesn't have a "permanent solution for the Dreamers and TPS recipients that our country needs and supports."

"Democrats were hopeful that the president was finally willing to re-open government and proceed with a much-needed discussion to protect the border," Pelosi said. "Unfortunately, initial reports make clear that his proposal is a compilation of several previously rejected initiatives, each of which is unacceptable and in total, do not represent a good faith effort to restore certainty to people's lives."

McConnell had told the Couier Journal previously that any agreement to end the shutdown would require Trump and congressional Democrats to reach a deal.

On Saturday, McConnell released the following statement:

“I commend the President for his leadership in proposing this bold solution to reopen the government, secure the border, and take bipartisan steps toward addressing current immigration issues. “Compromise in divided government means that everyone can’t get everything they want every time. The President’s proposal reflects that. It strikes a fair compromise by incorporating priorities from both sides of the aisle. “This bill takes a bipartisan approach to re-opening the closed portions of the federal government. It pairs the border security investment that our nation needs with additional immigration measures that both Democrat and Republican members of Congress believe are necessary. Unlike the bills that have come from the House over the past few weeks, this proposal could actually resolve this impasse. It has the full support of the President and could be signed into law to quickly reopen the government. “Everyone has made their point—now it’s time to make a law. I intend to move to this legislation this week. With bipartisan cooperation, the Senate can send a bill to the House quickly so that they can take action as well. The situation for furloughed employees isn’t getting any brighter and the crisis at the border isn’t improved by show votes. But the President’s plan is a path toward addressing both issues quickly.”

Courier Journal reporter Phillip M. Bailey and USA TODAY contributed.