Trump: Democrats are prioritizing noncitizens

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats of prioritizing services and security for noncitizens over U.S. citizens.

He said in a tweet Monday: “Not good!”

Some government functions shut down over the weekend. Democrats are rejecting a funding bill until Republicans agree to protect 700,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

The Republican president said in a second tweet Monday that “Democrats have shut down our government in the interests of their far left base. They don’t want to do it but are powerless!”

Trump’s earlier tweet appeared to undercut comments by his legislative affairs director, Marc Short, who told CNN that the immigrants in question are law-abiding and “productive to our society.”

The government shutdown is set to complicate the beginning of the workweek. Over the weekend, the Senate inched closer but ultimately fell short of an agreement that would have reopened federal agencies.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said negotiations were still underway late into Sunday night, with a vote to break a Democratic filibuster on a short-term funding bill scheduled for noon Monday.

Under the proposal taking shape, Democratic would agree to a three-week spending measure — until Feb. 8 — in return for a commitment from the Republican leadership in the Senate to address immigration policy and other pressing legislative matters in the coming weeks. But there is no agreement yet.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said if the Senate approves a temporary spending bill, the House will approve it too.

Senate Democrats had blocked a stopgap measure passed by the House to keep the federal bureaucracy operating through Feb. 16. But speaking on “Fox and Friends,” Ryan says the new date works for the House.

The Wisconsin Republican also says negotiations on an immigration deal are taking place in good faith. Democrats want to protect young immigrants in the country illegally and are skeptical of Republican pledges to bring up free-standing immigration legislation next month.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut says on MSNBC he has “zero confidence” that Ryan will bring legislation to shield the roughly 700,000 immigrants known as “Dreamers.”

Short said the administration wants to “find a pathway for them” to stay in the U.S.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo said the government shutdown won’t affect the spy agency’s operations.

He told CBS News in an interview Monday: “We’re going to continue crushing our adversaries whether the government’s open or closed.”

A dispute in Congress over spending and immigration forced scores of federal government agencies and outposts to close their doors early Saturday. But many government functions, particularly those involving national security, are considered essential and won’t be affected.

Pompeo also said he doesn’t agree that the stalemate on Capitol Hill that led to the shutdown is a signal of dysfunction in Washington.

“The American people are having complicated discussions about their priorities,” Pompeo said. He said that’s entirely appropriate in a democracy.