Step up, Congress and pass a bill to reopen the government.-- Stop being afraid of who owns the blame

Both Democrats and Republicans claim to support enhanced border security and oppose the government shutdown. So why are we on the brink of our nation’s longest shutdown with no end in sight?

This week, President Donald Trump took to the airwaves in his first Oval Office address followed by a live response from the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate. Neither the White House nor Congressional Democrats offered much more than a summary of talking points that Americans have heard from both sides for weeks.

However, there was one noticeable difference: President Trump reframed his argument. His signature border wall had been rebranded as a “barrier,” and was offered in the context of a more comprehensive border security package which included ideas that Democrats would support, like more funding for courts and technology for law enforcement.

Democrats, for their part, reiterated their desire to pass the bill that had already gone through the Senate in December with bipartisan support and was once again just passed in the House. That bill would get the government running again and paychecks back in the hands of over 800,000 federal employees while leaving the door open to real negotiations on border security.

Some Senate Republicans are growing weary of the stalemate with a handful of moderate and potentially vulnerable GOP members expressing some willingness to support the kind of approach Democrats are offering.