Democrats need to "move a bit" on negotiating an end to the government shutdown, as President Donald Trump already has shown he's willing to work on a solution, Rep. Andy Biggs said Monday.
"They have been unwilling to move or sit down and negotiate with any sincerity," the Arizona Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "The president has moved from $25 billion to $5.7 billion. He has been indicating he would be willing to move off that number. We have to build a wall."
Democrats have said they are "not going to give a penny," said Biggs. "That makes it really hard to take care of something like this, especially when they leave town."
Earlier in the day, Fox News reported that about 30 congressional Democrats had traveled to Puerto Rico for a winter retreat planned before the shutdown. Trump has criticized them for the trip, where they are meeting with lobbyists, and Biggs said Monday he thinks the president has apoint.
"The optics show insensitivity at its best, and hypocrisy," said Biggs. "These same people were castigating the president...the optic is so bad. It is like a 'let them eat cake' moment."
He also rejected the idea that Trump is to blame for the shutdown rather than Democrats.
"They control the votes in the Senate because it is a 60-vote rule," said Biggs. "The second thing I would say is that President [Barack] Obama declared the national emergency 12 times. I think we are forcing President Trump to declare an emergency to build the wall. I think that is probably where we are going to end up going. That's just where we are."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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