President Donald Trump's wants an "open government and a secure border," White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said Tuesday, while talking about his expectations as the Senate prepares to take up his proposal on ending the partial government shutdown and securing the border.
"We have a humanitarian crisis along the southern border," Gidley told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "He put forth a commonsense plan that uses things that Democrats wanted and included that in the plan."
Democrats are refusing to come to the table, Gidley added, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "won't even have a conversation with the president."
"She was very clear. If we would do everything Democrats wanted and voted for every piece they wanted, then they would talk to us about what we wanted," said Gidley. "When the president put that forward as a proposal, (saying) fine, I will open the government and do what you want, will you have a conversation about border security, she said one word: No."
In the past, so many people voted for the steel barrier construction for the border that Democrats have said they wanted, but only one thing has changed this time, and that's that Trump is in the White House, Gidley continued.
"They are playing politics with people's lives and that is dangerous for the country," he said, pointing out that 800,000 government workers will miss a second paycheck if a deal is not reached by midnight Tuesday.