WASHINGTON �� Trump administration officials and senior congressional aides did not talk about specific border-wall funding levels at a meeting Saturday that adjourned without a breakthrough, a White House official said.
The two sides met for more than two hours in Vice President Mike Pence's ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building across the street from the White House, where President Donald Trump was posting on Twitter about the partial government shutdown, and criticizing Democrats.
"There was no in depth conversation about dollar figure, but the priorities for security," an aide to Pence said in a brief statement. The vice president "reiterated (Trump's) position that we need funding for the border wall."
Trump has increased his demand in recent days to $5.6 billion. Pence before Christmas offered over $2 billion for the wall and $400 million for other border security tools. Senate Democrats rejected the offer, and Trump mocked the other border security tools as just "fun" things.
The Pence aide described Saturday's discussion as "productive" and said the two sides will meet again Sunday.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen briefed the participants on what the Pence aide described as the "the crisis at the Southern border." Democratic negotiators requested information in writing from the administration's proposed border security items for the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump told senior Democratic leaders Friday that the shutdown could last "months or even years" unless he gets his border wall funding.
