“The crisis of illegal activity at our Southern Border is real and will not stop until we build a great Steel Barrier or Wall. Let work begin!” Trump tweeted following the lunch meeting at the White House.



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“We're not going to negotiate over the phone as to what he would accept. That continues to be what this president is pushing for,” the official added when asked if the president would accept $1.6 billion instead. Around an hour earlier, a senior administration official told reporters that Trump does not intend to back down from his request for $5 billion in funding for “physical barriers" along the U.S.-Mexico border.“We're not going to negotiate over the phone as to what he would accept. That continues to be what this president is pushing for,” the official added when asked if the president would accept $1.6 billion instead.

The Senate adjourned later Saturday without a deal in place and is scheduled to meet again after Christmas, ensuring the shutdown will continue for several more days.

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Pence traveled to the Capitol to brief Schumer on the lunch after it concluded.

Trump earlier Saturday pushed back against critics of his shutdown strategy, tweeting that “we are negotiating with the Democrats on desperately needed Border Security (Gangs, Drugs, Human Trafficking & more).”

He also repeated his warning about a lengthy shutdown, writing “it could be a long stay.”

While both the Senate and House are in session, it remains unclear when a vote might take place on a deal to reopen federal agencies, all but guaranteeing that about a quarter of the federal government will remain shuttered in the days before Christmas.

The senior administration official said the government is working to ensure the shutdown “is painless as possible,” saying that services such as airport security screenings, food safety inspections will continue and national parks and the Smithsonian Institution will remain open.



The official declined to say how many federal workers will be furloughed when they are scheduled to return to work after Christmas, but said that 15 percent of the workforce could be affected in some form.

Updated: 4:30 p.m.