GOP, Democrats show no sign of retreat on shutdown’s 1st day

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans and Democrats showed no signs of ending their standoff over immigration and spending Saturday as Americans awoke to the first day of a government shutdown and Congress staged a weekend session to show voters it was trying to resolve the stalemate.

The closure of many government agencies was a striking display of Washington dysfunction, played out on the anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and there was more finger-pointing than signs of bipartisan dealmaking.

Trump made light of the debacle in a tweet that said Democrats “wanted to give me a nice present” to mark the start of his second year in office.

The president spoke with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to discuss the next possible steps, while chief of staff John Kelly also worked the phones. White House negotiators, legislative affairs director Marc Short and budget chief Mick Mulvaney, went to Capitol Hill to meet with House Republicans, who emerged holding fast to their stance that they would not negotiate while the government was shuttered.