Massachusetts congressional lawmakers condemned President Donald Trump this week for threatening to shut down the federal government unless the U.S. House and Senate pass a stopgap spending bill that includes more than $5 billion for his proposed border wall.

The Democrats, who have vocally criticized the president’s call to build a wall along the United States' southern border with Mexico, questioned the need for such a structure and its effectiveness in securing the country.

They further chastised Trump for pledging to not sign any bill without border wall funding just days after he signaled that he’d sign another spending measure.

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, slammed the proposed border wall as a “medieval solution to a 21st Century problem,” adding that the only reason House lawmakers were still debating spending legislation late Thursday was because “Donald Trump has made a mess of things.”

“It is surreal that we are here today: Days before the end of a Congress, hours before a quarter of the federal government runs out of money -- scrambling to keep the lights on at the brink of the third Republican government shutdown this year,” he said in a speech from the House floor. “Because we’re not dealing with divided government, Republicans today control not only this chamber, but also the Senate and the White House. They have been fighting amongst themselves for weeks over whether and how to keep the United States government open for business -- it would be comical if it wasn’t so serious.”

McGovern argued that the latest House proposal including $5.7 billion in border wall funding, which passed on a 217 to 185 vote, “is not a solution, it is a political temper tantrum all to please one man" -- and not the majority of Americans.

He added that while House lawmakers were prepared to act Thursday on the Senate’s bipartisan-passed continuing resolution to fund the government through early February, that changed after “the president’s latest outburst.”

“This will not become law what we’re doing right now. This is a waste of time. ... It’s dead on arrival at the Senate. The clock is ticking, let’s get to work on a clean bill that can make it to the president, this isn’t that,” he said. “This is just offensive.”

U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, joined McGovern in condemning House Republicans for offering a spending bill with border wall funding in an effort to appease the president.

“The GOP controls all levers of government and it is their responsibility to prevent a Trump shutdown. Just now, House Democrats gave them the opportunity to vote with us and none did. This is our most basic responsibility. Do your job,” she tweeted Thursday.

The #GOP controls all levers of government, and it is their responsibility to prevent a #TrumpShutdown. Just now, the @HouseDemocrats gave them the opportunity to vote with us and none did. This is our most basic responsibility. #DoYourJob — Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) December 20, 2018

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, called the debate around the spending bill “completely unnecessary."

“Men and women of good will ought to be able to sort the differences here and move on,” he said in a Friday interview, adding that “the president did say that Mexico was going to pay for that wall.”

Neal noted that about 50 lawmakers had already left Capitol Hill by Friday afternoon, including many retiring and outgoing members who no longer have offices.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, contended that Trump is the only person who will be responsible if the government shuts down.

He cast the situation as “The Trump Who Stole Christmas.”

Congressman Joe Kennedy III, D-Newton, meanwhile, argued that the House could have joined the Senate in passing a spending bill with a veto proof majority to keep the government open.

“Which means Paul Ryan is choosing to end his career in a government shutdown to satisfy President Trump,” he tweeted.

Senate passed CR without a single objection. House could likely pass it with a veto proof majority to keep the government open. Which means Paul Ryan is choosing to end his career in a government shutdown to satisfy President Trump. — Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) December 20, 2018

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, meanwhile, offered that he couldn’t “think of a more appropriate way to end a Republican-led Congress than with a Republican-led shutdown.”

I can't think of a more appropriate way to end a Republican-led Congress than with a Republican-led shutdown. — Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) December 20, 2018

The White House announced Friday that Trump would meet with Senate Republicans "to discuss the funding bill and the importance of border security.”

Trump, who told House and Senate Democratic leaders last week that he would be “proud" to shut down the government over border security, tweeted ahead of the morning sit down that “Democrats now own the shutdown.”

The Democrats now own the shutdown! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2018

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that senators should support the House-passed version of the spending measure as they “have a constitutional duty to protect the people of this country.”

“We hope that they’ll step up and fulfill it today,” she said, according to the Associated Press. “Let’s be really clear, what is on the line here is something that they’ve all supported in the past and frankly, they’ve all supported in the last week. They talk about wanting border security -- that’s exactly wha this bill does.”