Article snippet: The White House on Thursday stepped up its argument that Democrats are responsible for a six-day partial shutdown of the government that has no end in sight, arguing that MORE is in Washington while his congressional rivals are not even in town. "The President and his team stayed in Washington over Christmas hoping to negotiate a deal that would stop the dangerous crisis on the border, protect American communities, and re-open the government. The Democrats decided to go home," the White House statement reads. "The only rational conclusion is that the Democrat party is openly choosing to keep our government closed to protect illegal immigrants rather than the American people. The President does not want the government to remain shut down, but he will not sign a proposal that does not first prioritize our county’s safety and security," it said. The statement is the latest attempt by Trump and the White House to shift the blame to Democrats after the president said in an Oval Office meeting with Democrats that he would accept blame for a shutdown over funding for the wall. The president's comments at that meeting left Democrats feeling confident the public would blame Trump over a shutdown. Parts of the government shut down on Saturday after Democrats blocked legislation passed by the House that would have continued government funding through Feb. 8, and that also included $5.7 billion for the wall and border security. Democrats had repeatedly said they would not a... Link to the full article to read more