WASHINGTON _ Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill announced Tuesday they would no longer attend a meeting with President Donald Trump, responding to his tweet earlier in the day that "I don't see a deal" with "Chuck and Nancy."
"Given that the President doesn't see a deal between Democrats and the White House, we believe the best path forward is to continue negotiating with our Republican counterparts in Congress instead," Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote in a joint statement.
They said they would instead request a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Congress' Republican leaders.
"We don't have any time to waste in addressing the issues that confront us, so we're going to continue to negotiate with Republican leaders who may be interested in reaching a bipartisan agreement," Pelosi and Schumer wrote.
"If the President, who already said earlier this year that 'our country needs a good shutdown,' isn't interested in addressing the difficult year end agenda, we'll work with those Republicans who are, as we did in April," they continued.
McConnell tweeted that he still plans to meet with the president.
