Article snippet: No Democrats attended a lunch on Tuesday with MORE designed to reach an agreement to end the government shutdown and fund a border wall, as the president’s attempt to force leaders back to the negotiating table fell flat. Trump invited several moderate House Democrats to the White House in an effort to undermine Speaker MORE (D-Calif.), who has refused to grant Trump his demand for $5.7 billion in wall funding. But the group turned down the invitation. “Today, the president offered both Democrats and Republicans the chance to meet for lunch at the White House. Unfortunately, no Democrats will attend,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement ahead of the meeting. A group of nine House Republicans were scheduled to meet with the president, but Sanders said “it’s time for the Democrats to come to the table and make a deal.” Two of the GOP lawmakers, Reps. MORE (N.Y.), have voted for Democratic bills to reopen government agencies. After the meeting ended, Republicans lambasted Democrats for refusing to attend in an attempt to pin blame on them for the shutdown. “He’s put a deal on the table,” Davis said of Trump while speaking to reporters at the White House. “The sheer fact that no Democrats [were] here to even talk with us shows the lack of willingness to compromise.” The event was the latest sign that no end remains in sight for the partial shutdown, which on Tuesday entered its record-setting 25th day. It also signaled that Pelosi h... Link to the full article to read more