Trump's incoming chief of staff suggested that Democrats are stalling on shutdown until they have House control
- Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump's incoming chief of staff, has blamed Congressional Democrats for dragging out the partial government shutdown.
- Mulvaney said that it's "possible" that the shutdown would stretch "into the new Congress."
- "The shutdown will hopefully not last long," Trump previously said in a video posted to Twitter, but he has repeatedly warned that it could stretch on.
Donald Trump's incoming chief of staff Mick Mulvaney took to the Sunday morning talk shows to accuse Congressional Democrats of dragging their feet on the government shutdown.
Mick Mulvaney, who is currently serving as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, told Fox News Sunday that he believes Democrats will stall on negotiations until they assume the majority of the House of Representatives in January 2019.
In his appearance on Fox, Mulvaney said "it's very possible this shutdown will go beyond the 28th and into the new Congress."
He singled out Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic designee for Speaker of the House, in his comments.
Speaking with ABC's Jonathan Karl, Mulvaney said that he and Vice President Mike Pence have spent the last two days meeting with Congressional Republicans and Democratic leaders like Senator Chuck Schumer.
Read more: The government shutdown over Trump's border wall demands will last at least through Christmas
"We gave them an offer late yesterday afternoon and we're waiting to hear back from them right now," he told ABC.
Trump has gone back and forth on the shutdown.
In a video posted on Twitter on Dec. 21, the president described the shutdown as necessary because Democratic votes were required for getting his proposed border wall approved.
"The shutdown will hopefully not last long," he said. But Trump has repeatedly warned that the shutdown could drag on, tweeting on Saturday that "it could be a long stay."
According to senior administration officials, the White House is adamant about securing $5 billion in funding for border security and a wall. Trump previously said he would be "proud" to take the blame for the shutdown over the wall. But now, Republicans are pointing the finger at Democrats.
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, who adjourned official Senate negotiations until Thursday, said, "They've refused to meet President Trump halfway and provide even one-fifth of the resources for the border they were willing to provide just a few months ago."
Meanwhile, Pelosi took to Twitter to declare that "the new House Democratic majority will swiftly pass legislation to re-open government in January" if the shutdown endures until then.