Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) said he hoped the government shutdown could end this week as President Trump returns from a trip to Asia.
In an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Warner ignored questions about where Democrats would be willing to compromise in the months-long funding standoff, but he pressed the president to come to the negotiating table.
Asked at what point the “pain and pressure” of air traffic controllers and other government workers would finally “end the shutdown”, Warner said, “I expect it will end this week.”
Warner said, “We knew this wasn’t going to end until Donald Trump came back into the country. He’s back into the country now. He has to step up and put America first and sit down with us and deal with the health care shortage.”
Warner said any negotiations would “require Trump to be in the room.”
“That’s why in the bipartisan conversations so far, I don’t think we’ll ever get to yes because unfortunately, my Republican colleagues can’t move forward on anything without Trump’s signature,” Warner said.
“Trump has spent a lot of time going out there trying to audition for the Nobel Prize and racing around the world. Come back and put America first. Sit down and solve this. It can be done in an hour,” the Democrat said, pointing to a refrain frequently used by the president.
Warner said he also hopes the administration will fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Federal judge ordered officialsSpending emergency funds for the program.
“We’re still waiting to see if the administration wants to appeal,” Warner said. “Get money to people who need it. Sit down with us, solve this this week, and let’s get everyone back to work.”
