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Majority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell and Minority leader Chuck Schumer spoke on the Senate floor ahead of a vote on the most recent proposals to end the government shutdown.
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – House Democratic leaders are drafting a letter to President Donald Trump that would propose $5 billion in border security if he agrees to reopen the government, but Trump warned Wednesday that the partial government shutdown could drag on for a while.

The Democrats’ proposal does not include money for any “new structures” along the southern border as the president demanded, so it is unlikely to move as is. It is still significant because it’s the first time Democratic leaders will broadly lay out what they might accept in a compromise to end the government shutdown, which is in its 33rd day.

“It’s a starting point. You know, I think we all want border security. There is no question about it,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. “It’s just that some of the things that are being pursued in the name of border security we disagree with.”

Thompson said he is involved in drafting the letter, which he expects to come from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

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Democratic Senator from Vermont Patrick Leahy, right, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, second from right, and Senate democrats carry photographs of furloughed federal workers during a press conference urging President Trump to reopen the government outside the US Capitol Capitol in Washington, DC. on Jan. 16, 2019. Senate democrats outlined effects the shutdown, now in its 25th day, is having on American workers and families and called on President Trump to reopen the government immediately.
Faye Smith, a furloughed Smithsonian contract worker who has not been paid during the partial government shutdown, holds an unpaid electric bill to present to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, Jan. 16, 2019 Furloughed contract workers have not received back pay from previous government shutdowns, unlikely employees who work directly for the federal government. Four weeks into the US government shutdown, cash-strapped federal workers are tapping life-savings, selling possessions and turning to soup kitchens to make ends meet ramping up pressure for leaders in Washington to strike a deal.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., left, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., second from left, and Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, second from right, wait for other freshman Congressmen to deliver a letter calling to an end to the government shutdown to deliver to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., left, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., second from left, and Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, second from right, wait for other freshman Congressmen to deliver a letter calling to an end to the government shutdown to deliver to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. Andrew Harnik, AP
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, walk into an event with furloughed federal workers amid the partial government shutdown, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, walk into an event with furloughed federal workers amid the partial government shutdown, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Andrew Harnik, AP
Doors at the Internal Revenue Service in the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building are locked and covered with blinds as a sign posted advises that the office will be closed during the partial government shutdown Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Seattle.
Several dozen federal employees and supporters demonstrated at the Sacramento International Airport calling for President Donald Trump and Washington lawmakers to end then partial government shutdown, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif.
Federal employees and family members that have been affected by the ongoing shutdown of the US federal government leave with free meals provided to them by World Central Kitchen, at Jose Andres' ThinkFoodLab in Washington, DC. on Jan. 16, 2019. The disaster relief nonprofit World Central Kitchen, led by celebrity chef Jose Andres, opened a Washington DC feeding site 16 January to try to help some of the 800,000 federal workers that are either working without pay or have been furloughed. Free hot meals and to-go meals will be provided everyday, including weekends.
A TSA worker helps passengers at the Salt Lake City International Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Salt Lake City. The government shutdown has generated an outpouring of generosity to TSA agents and other federal employees who are working without pay. In Salt Lake City, airport officials treated workers from the TSA, FAA and Customs and Border Protection to a free barbecue lunch as a gesture to keep their spirits up during a difficult time.
Food and other goods that donors dropped off are collected on a cart to be moved to a distribution point for TSA workers at Orlando International Airport Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Orlando, Fla.
A sign outside the closed National Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan is seen on Jan. 12, 2019, as the partial US government shutdown entered a record 22nd.
The entrance of the Miami International Airport's Terminal G remained closed due to the government shutdown, in Miami, Florida, USA, 12 January 2019. The current partial shutdown of the US federal government has become the longest in US history, on Jan. 12, 2019 surpassing the previous 21-day shutdown of 1995-1996. Over 800,000 federal employees are impacted by the shutdown, with around 400,000 furloughed and being paid later and the rest deemed 'essential', who must work without pay, though retroactive pay is expected, with January 11 marking the first missed paycheck.

The entrance of the Miami International Airport’s Terminal G remained closed due to the government shutdown, in Miami, Florida, USA, 12 January 2019. The current partial shutdown of the US federal government has become the longest in US history, on Jan. 12, 2019 surpassing the previous 21-day shutdown of 1995-1996. Over 800,000 federal employees are impacted by the shutdown, with around 400,000 furloughed and being paid later and the rest deemed ‘essential’, who must work without pay, though retroactive pay is expected, with January 11 marking the first missed paycheck. Cristobal Herrera, EPA-EFE
US Secret Service officers stands post on Pennsylvania Avenue outside of the White House in Washington, DC on Jan. 12, 2019. The current partial shutdown of the US federal government, now the longest in US history, has many federal employees including Secret Service agents and officers working unpaid.
An empty entrance line is seen as signs hang on the doors of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture indicating that the museum is closed because of the partial government shutdown in Washington, DC, Jan. 9, 2019. A cornered President Donald Trump will hold talks with congressional leaders Wednesday over his demand for a US-Mexico border wall, with his options running out for ending a prolonged partial government shutdown over the impasse. Trump gave a nine-minute prime-time address Tuesday night to make the case for his signature domestic policy idea, but made no concessions to opposition Democrats, who have rejected funding for the project.
Members of the US Secret Service Uniformed Division patrol outside of the White House in Washington, DC, Jan. 9, 2019, on the 18th day of the partial government shutdown.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is chased by members of the media after he returned to the U.S. Capitol from a meeting at the White House Jan. 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Trump walked out of a meeting with congressional leaders at the White House negotiating border security funding and government shutdown, calling it a total waste of time.
Passengers wait in a Transportation Security Administration line at JFK airport on Jan. 09, 2019 in New York City. Its been reported that hundreds of TSA screeners and agents have called in sick from their shifts from a number of major airports as the partial government shutdown continues. Employees of the TSA, whose job it is to keep airlines safe, are being forced to work without knowing when their next paycheck is coming.
U.S. Senate Minoirty Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) returns to the U.S. Capitol from a meeting at the White House January 9, 2019 in Washington, DC.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, listens as Vice President Mike Pence, right, speaks to reporters following a meeting with President Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., holds his notes as he talks with reporters following a meeting with Congressional leaders and President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., center, speaks about her oath of office as she stands next to Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., left, and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., right, following their meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., center, speaks about her oath of office as she stands next to Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., left, and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., right, following their meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. Susan Walsh, AP
President Donald Trump, accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., talks to the media after a Senate Republican policy lunch on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2018, in Washington.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., listens as President Donald Trump talks to the media after a Senate Republican policy lunch on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2018, in Washington.
A "Closed" sign is seen during a news conference after a House Democratic Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. House Democrats gathered to discuss the Democratic agenda as the partial government shutdown enters day 19.
Activists hold a lit "FAKE CRISIS" sign as they stage a protest outside the White House in response to U.S. President Donald Trumps prime time address to the nation Jan. 8, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Trump urged Congress to fund $5.7 billion for a border wall.
The Washington skyline is seen on day 19 of a partial government shutdown on the morning after President Donald Trump used a prime-time TV address from the Oval Office to urge congressional Democrats to relent on their opposition to his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. From left are the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol.
The entrance to Fort Point National Historic Site, a masonry seacoast fortification located on the southern side of the Golden Gate Bride, a popular tourist site is closed in San Francisco, Calif. on Jan. 8, 2019.
Members of American Legion Post 416 watch President Donald Trump speak on Jan. 8, 2019 in Encinitas, California. The president spoke in his first prime-time address from the Oval Office in an effort to build support for $5.7 billion in funding for a border wall.
People walk past a sign announcing that New York funds are keeping the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open for visitors on Jan. 5, 2019, in New York, as the US government shutdown enters its third week.
Vice President Mike Pence, left, White House legislative affairs aide Ja'Ron Smith, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, second row left, White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner, and others, walk down the steps of the Eisenhower Executive Office building, on the White House complex, after a meeting with staff members of House and Senate leadership, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, in Washington.

Vice President Mike Pence, left, White House legislative affairs aide Ja’Ron Smith, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, second row left, White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner, and others, walk down the steps of the Eisenhower Executive Office building, on the White House complex, after a meeting with staff members of House and Senate leadership, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, in Washington. Alex Brandon, AP
The Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum is closed during the partial government shutdown, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 in Washington.
Workmen from the commercial cleanup company 1-800-GOT-JUNK clean up trash on The Ellipse, south of the White House, in Washington, DC on Jan. 4, 2019. As the company donates its resources to clean up, US President Donald J. Trump is scheduled to meet at the White House with congressional leadership in hopes of ending the partial government shutdown now in its 12th day.
Emma James, right, and co-worker Vincent Cuenca demonstrate outside the Federal Center on Goodfellow Boulevard, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 in St. Louis. James is a processor in the multifamily housing division. Cuenta processes payments to FEMA contractors.
President Donald J. Trump holds a news conference beside US Vice President Mike Pence, left,, Republican Representative from Louisiana Steve Scalise (2-R) and House Minority Leader Republican Kevin McCarthy, right, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on Jan. 4, 2019. President Trump discussed a variety of topics, particularly his meeting with Congressional Democratic and Republican leaders for negotiations on the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government. A partial shutdown of the government continues since Congress and Trump failed to strike a deal on border security before a 22 December 22, 2018 funding deadline.

President Donald J. Trump holds a news conference beside US Vice President Mike Pence, left,, Republican Representative from Louisiana Steve Scalise (2-R) and House Minority Leader Republican Kevin McCarthy, right, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on Jan. 4, 2019. President Trump discussed a variety of topics, particularly his meeting with Congressional Democratic and Republican leaders for negotiations on the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government. A partial shutdown of the government continues since Congress and Trump failed to strike a deal on border security before a 22 December 22, 2018 funding deadline. Michael Reynolds, EPA-EFE
Volunteer Alexandra Degen cleans a restroom at Joshua Tree National Park on Jan. 4, 2019 in Joshua Tree National Park, California. Volunteers with 'Friends of Joshua Tree National Park' have been cleaning bathrooms and trash at the park as the park is drastically understaffed during the partial government shutdown. Campgrounds and some roads have been closed at the park due to safety concerns.
Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi returns to the US Capitol after a meeting with US President Donald Trump over the ongoing partial government shutdown in Washington, DC on Jan. 4, 2019. Though Democrats called the meeting 'contentious,' President Trump said the meeting was 'productive'.
Signs announce the visitor center at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri Valley, Iowa, is closed, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, as the partial government shutdown continues.
Brandon Torres, center, the Branch Chief of Emergency Services at Grand Canyon National Park, directs guests in the park on Jan. 4, 2019.
A sign blocks a snowed in walk way at Grand Canyon National Park on Jan. 4, 2019. The park was staffed at minimum capacity due to the government shutdown but retained much of its services due to an executive order issued by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to run the park with state funds in the event of a shutdown.
The Capitol building is visible as a man throws garbage away during a partial government shutdown on the National Mall in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018. Trash cans on the Mall are not being emptied during the shutdown.
A sign is posted on a fence near an entrance to the Bunker Hill Monument, Monday, Dec. 24, 2018, in Boston. The historic site, erected to commemorate the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill, and run by the National Park Service, was closed Monday due to a partial federal government shutdown. The federal government is expected to remain partially closed past Christmas Day in a protracted standoff over President Donald Trump's demand for money to build a border wall with Mexico.
The empty U.S. Capitol Rotunda is seen in Washington during a partial government shutdown Monday, Dec. 24, 2018. Both sides in the long-running fight over funding President Donald Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall appear to have moved toward each other, but a shutdown of one-fourth of the federal government entered Christmas without a clear resolution in sight.
Senate Majority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, center, is surrounded by reporters after leaving the Senate chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on Dec. 22, 2018.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is met by reporters as he arrives at the Capitol on the first morning of a partial government shutdown, as Democratic lawmakers, and some Republicans, are at odds with President Donald Trump on spending for his border wall, in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is met by reporters as he arrives at the Capitol on the first morning of a partial government shutdown, as Democratic lawmakers, and some Republicans, are at odds with President Donald Trump on spending for his border wall, in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. J. Scott Applewhite, AP
Jamie Parrish, from Minneapolis, takes a selfie in front of the closed sign at the National Archives, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018 in Washington. The House and Senate are gaveling back in for a rare weekend session amid a partial government shutdown over President Donald Trump's demand for billions of dollars for a border wall.
A sign alerts visitors to the closure of the White House Visitor Center on the first day of a partial government shutdown in Washington, DC on Dec. 22, 2018.
The US Capitol on the first morning of a partial government shutdown in Washington, DC on Dec. 22, 2018. Earlier in the week, President Trump rejected a Senate-passed continuing resolution to fund the federal government because it did not include money for his border wall. Though President Trump said he was 'proud' to shut the government down, lawmakers will meet again today to negotiate a way around the stalemate.
Senate Majority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell, center, is followed by members of the news media as he walks from the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Dec. 21, 2018. President Trump rejected a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through Feb. 8, 2019, threatening a partial shutdown unless funding is included for his border wall.
Vice President Mike Pence, right, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, center, and Senior Advisor to US President Donald J. Trump, Jared Kushner, left, walk from the House of Representatives to the Senate at the US Capitol on Friday.
Outgoing Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) (C) returns to his office after votes in the U.S. Capitol, Friday. The U.S. Senate considered a budget bill passed Thursday by the House of Representatives that would fund the federal government and includes more than $500 million for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Senate is unlikely to pass the bill with the wall funding, moving the government closer to a partial shut down just days before the Christmas holiday.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, the speaker-designate for the new Congress, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., leave after talking to reporters as a revised spending bill is introduced in the House that includes $5 billion demanded by President Donald Trump for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as Congress tries to avert a partial shutdown, in Washington, on Dec. 20, 2018.
Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (R) and Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (C) speak to the media, Thursday, as lawmakers prepare to vote on a new budget resolution to avert a government shutdown.
Republican Majority Whip from California Kevin McCarthy (C) leaves the Capitol, Thursday, for the White House to negotiate a budget vote to avert a government shutdown in the US Capitol. The Senate passed a continuing resolution on Wednesday, to keep the government open until February 2019. Others are not identified members of the media.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Republican Richard Shelby (C) speaks to members of the news media shortly before leaving to attend a meeting at the White House held by US President Donald J. Trump, on Capitol Hill, Friday. President Trump rejected a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through 08 February 2019, threatening a partial shutdown unless funding is included for his border wall.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) makes a statement to the press after a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House Thursday.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., center, accompanied by House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., center right, speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House following a meeting with President Donald Trump on border security.
Senate Majority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell arrives at the Senate Carriage entrance upon returning from the White House where he attended a meeting held by President Donald J. Trump, on Friday. President Trump rejected a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through February 8, 2019, threatening a partial shutdown unless funding is included for his border wall.

“No new structures. The only thing we are talking about is existing structures, along with the judges and some other things,” Thompson said. He said there would be money for “some new” Customs and Border Protection agents and to bolster ports of entry.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the letter hasn’t been finalized, but “we are prepared to spend a very substantial sum of money because we share the view that borders need to be secure.”

The letter “is not a negotiation,” Hoyer said. “The letter is going to articulate what we believe is effective investment to accomplish border security.”

Thompson said protections for “Dreamers,” undocumented immigrants who came to the USA as children, are not included in the proposal.

At the White House, Trump said Wednesday the government shutdown could drag on because of the dispute over border security and his proposed border wall.

Democrats “don’t want to see crime stopped, which we could very easily do on the southern border. … This will go on for a while,” Trump said while taking questions during a health care event. 

In another sign the administration is bracing for a much longer shutdown, White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has asked agencies to provide lists of programs that will be endangered if the shutdown lasts for weeks and even months more.

“Prudent management means planning and preparing for events without known end-dates,” said an administration statement. “As OMB continues to manage this partial lapse in appropriations, unfunded agencies are being asked to continue to share with OMB an ongoing list of programs that could be impacted within the coming weeks.”

Saturday, Trump offered a proposal that would include temporary protections for Dreamers as well as refugees who had been given Temporary Protected Status in the USA in exchange for $5.7 billion for his wall along the southern border. The president’s proposal would make it harder for minors from Central America to seek asylum, an idea Democrats oppose.

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TSA worker Amelia Williams is given a bottle of milk at a food bank for government workers affected by the shutdown, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) ORG XMIT: NYML106
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 22: Celebrity Chef Jose Andres (R) helps carry free meals for U.S. Park Police outside his World Central Kitchen January 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Founded by Andres, World Central Kitchen is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. The pop-up kitchen has been providing meals to workers affected by the partial federal government shutdown since January 16 and started giving away groceries and providing other services this week. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775286268 ORIG FILE ID: 1097995860
Furloughed EPA worker Jeff Herrema holds a sign outside the offices of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, in Park Hills, Ky., Tuesday, Jan 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston) ORG XMIT: KYBW109
In this Jan. 21, 2019 photo, Brendan Maos, left, walks with his grandmother Darlene Maos, center, and Sylvia Jones as they leave Jon Bon Jovi's community kitchen, Soul Kitchen, in Red Bank, N.J. after being served a free lunch. The kitchen served free meals to furloughed federal workers and their families. Darlene Maos and Jones are federal employees. (Ed Murray/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com via AP) ORG XMIT: NJNEW102
Hundreds of volunteers and recipients Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019 at Help for Hampton Roads Coast Guard Families food drive, sponsored by the Chief Petty Officer Association, in Chesapeake for families affected by the shutdown. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) ORG XMIT: VANOV105
Hundreds of volunteers and recipients Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019 at Help for Hampton Roads Coast Guard Families food drive, sponsored by the Chief Petty Officer Association, in Chesapeake for families affected by the shutdown. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP) ORG XMIT: VANOV102
Doris Cochran works on "an ugly sweater," which she is planning to sell, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 in her apartment in Arlington, Va., Cochran is a disabled mother of two young boys living in subsidized housing in Arlington, Virginia. She’s stockpiling canned foods to try to make sure her family won’t go hungry if her food stamps run out. She says she just doesn’t know “what’s going to happen” and that’s what scares her the most. (AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz) ORG XMIT: DCSG102
Volunteers sign in federal workers outside Phoenix Indian Medical Center wanting to pick up food bank donations Jan. 18, 2019, in Phoenix. Employees of the hospital, which serves Native Americans, are accepting food from St. Mary's Food Bank as the government shutdown entered its 28th day.
A U.S. Coast Guard member carries a box of free groceries during a food giveaway Jan. 19, 2019 in Novato, Calif. As the partial government shutdown enters its fourth week, an estimated 150 U.S. Coast Guard families in the San Francisco Bay Area, who are currently not being paid, received free groceries during an event organized by the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and the North Bay Coast Guard Spouses Club.
epa07290477 Democratic Senator from Vermont Patrick Leahy (R), Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (2-R) and Senate democrats carry photographs of furloughed federal workers during a press conference urging President Trump to reopen the government outside the US Capitol Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 16 January 2019. Senate democrats outlined effects the shutdown, now in its 25th day, is having on American workers and families and called on President Trump to reopen the government immediately. EPA-EFE/SHAWN THEW ORG XMIT: STX05
Furloughed contract workers, including security officers and custodians who have not been paid during the partial government shutdown, hold unpaid bills to present to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 16, 2019. - Furloughed contract workers have not received back pay from previous government shutdowns, unlikely employees who work directly for the federal government.Four weeks into the US government shutdown, cash-strapped federal workers are tapping life-savings, selling possessions and turning to soup kitchens to make ends meet -- ramping up pressure for leaders in Washington to strike a deal. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1CA9HC
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Amy McElroy, left, and Lt. j.g. Sean Hill, who both missed a paycheck a day earlier during the partial government shutdown, talk about the stacks of fishing fleet inspections backing-up in the marine inspection office at Sector Puget Sound base Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Seattle. The four civilian employees who normally handle the paperwork have been furloughed, leaving it to Hill to complete, along with his other duties. The Coast Guard is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which is unfunded during the shutdown, now in its fourth week. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) ORG XMIT: WAET108

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Amy McElroy, left, and Lt. j.g. Sean Hill, who both missed a paycheck a day earlier during the partial government shutdown, talk about the stacks of fishing fleet inspections backing-up in the marine inspection office at Sector Puget Sound base, Jan. 16, 2019, in Seattle. The four civilian employees who normally handle the paperwork have been furloughed, leaving it to Hill to complete, along with his other duties. The Coast Guard is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which is unfunded during the shutdown, now in its fourth week. Elaine Thompson, AP
FILE In this Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019, file photo, U.S. Coast Guardsmen and women, who missed their first paycheck a day earlier during the partial government shutdown, walk off a 45-foot response boat during their shift at Sector Puget Sound base in Seattle. San Antonio-based USAA, a military personnel insurer and financial services company, said Wednesday they has donated $15 million for interest-free loans to Coast Guard members during the partial U.S. government shutdown. The funds will be disbursed by Coast Guard Mutual Assistance. The American Red Cross Hero Care Center will assist. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File) ORG XMIT: CER303
Aaron Hensley, left, is handed Stouffer's meals, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Solon, Ohio. Hensley and Joe Brodt, right, both work at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The government shutdown has generated an outpouring of generosity to TSA agents and other federal employees who are working without pay. Hensley has been at NASA eight months and Brodt has just finished his one-year anniversary. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) ORG XMIT: CD102
A federal employee carries away a bag of free Kraft products outside a pop-up grocery store opened by Kraft to provide humanitarian aid to federal employees who have been affected by the ongoing shutdown in Washington, DC, Jan. 17, 2019. Kraft opened the site, which will remain open through 20 January, so that federal employees can take a bag of free Kraft groceries home to their families. About 800,000 federal workers have been working without pay or have been furloughed. The shutdown began 22 December 2018 and is now the longest in US history with no clear end in sight.
A man heading into the Sacramento International Airport passes demonstrators calling for President Donald Trump and Washington lawmakers to end the shutdown, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. More than two dozen federal employees and supporters called for an end to the partial government shutdown now in its fourth week. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) ORG XMIT: CARP302
Airport operation workers wearing fluorescent safety jackets flipped burgers and hot dogs on a grill set up on a tarmac in front of a plane at Salt Lake City International Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Salt Lake City. In Salt Lake City, airport officials treated workers from the TSA, FAA and Customs and Border Protection to a free barbecue lunch as a gesture to keep their spirits up during a difficult time. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) ORG XMIT: UTRB101
TSA employee Gary Vetterli prepares a hot dog during lunch at Salt Lake City International Airport, Jan. 16, 2019. The government shutdown has generated an outpouring of generosity to TSA agents and other federal employees who are working without pay. In Salt Lake City, airport officials treated workers from the TSA, FAA and Customs and Border Protection to a free barbecue lunch as a gesture to keep their spirits up during a difficult time.
Erwin Guzman drops a food and supply donation for TAS workers at Orlando International Airport Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Orlando, Fla. as the partial government shutdown moves through its fourth week Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) ORG XMIT: FLJR105
Security lines at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta stretch more than an hour long amid the partial federal shutdown, causing some travelers to miss flights, Monday morning, Jan. 14, 2019. The long lines signaled staffing shortages at security checkpoints, as TSA officers have been working without pay since the federal shutdown began Dec. 22.
Statues at the Korean War Veterans Memorial are covered in snow in Washington, DC, on Monday. Federal offices and schools in the nation's capital are closed following a snowstorm this weekend that left an estimated accumulation of 8 to 12 inches of snow in the area. Despite the shutdown of the federal government, the National Park Service announced it would clear snow. Almost three hundred miles of roads and over one hundred miles of sidewalks in the greater Washington DC area fall under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.
Jayda Mayfield, 10, carries her lunch tray to her seat in the cafeteria at the The Tommy Douglas Conference Center, Monday, in Silver Spring, MD. Mayfield and her mother Stacy Summerville accepted free meals for furloughed federal workers and their families offered by the Amalgamated Transit Union.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), left, greets Consumer Product Safety Commission employee Stacy Summerville as she gathered her lunch provided for furloughed federal workers and their families at the Tommy Douglas Conference Center in Silver Spring, MD, on Monday. The Amalgamated Transit Union will continue to offer meals for federal employees affected by the shutdown all week from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
President Donald Trump speaks alongside fast food he purchased for a ceremony honoring the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers in the State Dining Room of the White House in on Jan. 14, 2019. Trump says the White House chefs are furloughed due to the partial government shutdown.
Guests select fast food Donald Trump purchased for a ceremony honoring the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday.
A snowman with a message about the government shutdown is pictured outside Capitol Hill
A travelers walks past a closed down terminal at the Miami International Airport on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, in Miami. The partial government shutdown is starting to strain the national aviation system, with unpaid security screeners staying home, air-traffic controllers suing the government and safety inspectors off the job. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) ORG XMIT: FLBA106
epaselect epa07278513 A TSA officer closes the entrance of the Miami International Airport's Terminal G, during the ongoing the government shutdown, in Miami, Florida, USA, 12 January 2019. The current partial shutdown of the US federal government has become the longest in US history, on 12 January, surpassing the previous 21-day shutdown of 1995-1996. Over 800,000 federal employees are impacted by the shutdown, with around 400,000 furloughed and being paid later and the rest deemed 'essential', who must work without pay, though retroactive pay is expected, with 11 January marking the first missed paycheck. EPA-EFE/CRISTOBAL HERRERA ORG XMIT: CHU02

A TSA officer closes the entrance of the Miami International Airport’s Terminal G, during the ongoing the government shutdown, in Miami on Jan. 12,  2019. The current partial shutdown of the US federal government has become the longest in US history, on Jan. 12, surpassing the previous 21-day shutdown of 1995-1996. Over 800,000 federal employees are impacted by the shutdown, with around 400,000 furloughed and being paid later and the rest deemed ‘essential’, who must work without pay, though retroactive pay is expected, with Jan. 11 marking the first missed paycheck. CRISTOBAL HERRERA, EPA-EFE
TSA agent Anthony Morselli of Georgia, VT, shows his GoFundMe post on Facebook before starting his shift at Burlington International Airport on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Morselli and his wife, both TSA agents, didn't get paid along with approximately 800,000 other federal workers and, to try to make ends meet, started the GoFundMe site to try to pay the bills as the government shutdown entered it's 21st day. (Via OlyDrop)
Nia Tagoai, a patient scheduler at a clinic offering health care and other services operated by the Seattle Indian Health Board, works at her desk Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, in Seattle. Fallout from the federal government shutdown is hurting hundreds of Native American tribes and entities that serve them. The pain is especially deep in tribal communities with high rates of poverty and unemployment, and where one person often supports an extended family. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) ORG XMIT: WATW205
Tables sit empty during dinnertime at Rocket City Tavern near numerous federal agencies in Huntsville, Ala., Jan.. 9, 2019. Business at the restaurant is off at least 35 percent since the partial federal shutdown began.
A worker walks through the empty lobby of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' National Center for Explosives Training and Research in Huntsville, Ala., Jan. 9, 2019. About 70 federal agencies are located at the Army's sprawling Redstone Arsenal, and more than half the area economy is tied to Washington spending.
Jack Lyons, a contractor working on massive rocket test stands for NASA, stands in his workshop while spending the furlough on his small side business making props for marching bands, in Madison, Ala., Jan. 8, 2019. "They're trying to use people as bargaining chips, and it just isn't right," Lyons said. Unlike civil service workers who expect to eventually get back pay, Lyons doesn't know if he'll ever see a dollar from the shutdown period.

Jack Lyons, a contractor working on massive rocket test stands for NASA, stands in his workshop while spending the furlough on his small side business making props for marching bands, in Madison, Ala., Jan. 8, 2019. “They’re trying to use people as bargaining chips, and it just isn’t right,” Lyons said. Unlike civil service workers who expect to eventually get back pay, Lyons doesn’t know if he’ll ever see a dollar from the shutdown period. David Goldman, AP
Katie Barron gestures while looking at a pay increase notice for her children's day care, in her home in Madison, Ala., Jan. 9, 2019. Barron's husband is a National Weather Service meteorologist forced to work without pay during the shutdown because his job is classified as essential. They've put off home and car maintenance, but the $450-a-week bill for day care still has to be paid, as do the mortgage and utility bills.
Keisha Brown, 40, stands outside her home in the the Harriman Park neighborhood in Birmingham, Ala. on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. Brown's home is within a designated Superfund site in north Birmingham. The EPA has been removing contaminated soil from yards in the neighborhoods within the site. The partial government shutdown has forced suspension of federal work at the nation's Superfund sites unless it is determined there is an "imminent threat" to life or property.
Federal Aviation Administration employee Michael Jessie, who is currently working without pay as an aviation safety inspector for New York international field office overseeing foreign air carriers, holds a sign while attending a news conference at Newark Liberty International Airport, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Newark, N.J. U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez called a news conference at the airport to address the partial government shutdown, which is keeping some airport employees working without pay. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) ORG XMIT: NJJC101
Jenn Hallam demonstrated against the partial government shutdown on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) ORG XMIT: PX204
epa07270355 Tourist on bikes stop at the entrance to Fort Point National Historic Site, a masonry seacoast fortification located on the southern side of the Golden Gate Bride, a popular tourist site is closed in San Francisco, California, USA, 08 January 2019. A partial shutdown of the US federal government continues since Congress and Trump failed to strike a deal before a 22 December 2018 funding deadline due to differences regarding border security. This shutdown, which has become the second-longest in US history, has affected about 800,000 federal workers. About 380,000 federal workers have been furloughed and an additional 420,000 have been working without knowing when they will next be paid. The National Park Service has said it will take funds from entrance fees to pay for cleaning up overflowing trash, patrolling of parks and other services. EPA-EFE/JOHN G. MABANGLO ORG XMIT: JGM01
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 08: David Fitzpatrick, 64, a Park Ranger, holds an American flag and a placard stating "You're fired" with "Smokey the Bear," after a protest rally with furloughed federal workers and area elected officials in front of Independence Hall on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The government shutdown, now lasting 18 days, marks the second longest United States in history, affecting about 800,000 federal employees. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775278689 ORIG FILE ID: 1079379668
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 08: Tourists photograph the Liberty Bell, unable to go inside due to a lapse in federal appropriations on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Furloughed federal workers and area elected officials held a protest rally beside it on Independence Mall. The government shutdown, now lasting 18 days, marks the second longest United States in history, affecting about 800,000 federal employees. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775278689 ORIG FILE ID: 1079379568
A disappointed young visitor, Asa Hazelwood, 3, pauses at the closed gates to the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC on Jan. 2, 2019. Asa's mother was unaware of the zoo's closure. The Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are now closed to visitors during a partial shutdown as Congress and President Trump are at an impasse over funding of Trump's proposed southern border wall.
Emma James, right, and co-worker Vincent Cuenca demonstrate outside the Federal Center on Goodfellow Boulevard, Jan. 4, 2019 in St. Louis. James is a processor in the multifamily housing division. Cuenta processes payments to FEMA contractors.
A Transportation Security Administration officer works at a checkpoint at Miami International Airport, Jan. 6, 2019, in Miami. The TSA acknowledged an increase in the number of its employees calling off work during the partial government shutdown.
Brandon Torres (center), the Branch Chief of Emergency Services at Grand Canyon National Park, directs guests in the park on Jan. 4, 2019. The park was staffed at minimum capacity due to the government shutdown but retained much of its services due to an executive order issued by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to run the park with state funds in the event of a shutdown.
New brewing equipment, rear, sits idle in a warehouse used by the Alementary Brewing Co. in Hackensack, N.J., Jan. 7, 2019. The owners recently invested in one million dollars worth of new equipment and a new 13,000 sq ft warehouse which would increase their capacity five times, but due to the government shutdown, they have been unable to get the required licenses from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
A guard enters the closed National Archives building in Washington, DC on Dec. 22, 2018. A partial US government shutdown began at midnight, Dec. 22, when a funding agreement between Congress and President Trump could not be reached.
Barricades block a closed campground at Joshua Tree National Park on Jan. 4, 2019 in Joshua Tree National Park, Calif. Campgrounds and some roads have been closed at the park due to safety concerns as the park is drastically understaffed during the partial government shutdown.
Volunteers Alexandra (R) and Ruth Degen walk after cleaning a restroom at Joshua Tree National Park on Jan. 4, 2019 in Joshua Tree National Park, California. Volunteers with 'Friends of Joshua Tree National Park' have been cleaning bathrooms and trash at the park as the park is drastically understaffed during the partial government shutdown.
Kunyanatt Chalothorn from Thailand takes a selfie with a closure sign at the entrance to the Smithsonian American Indian Museum in Washington, DC on Jan. 2, 2019.
People watch as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry transports passengers on Jan. 5, 2019, in New York, as the government shutdown enters its third week. New York state funds are being used to keep the attractions open during the shutdown which has affected National Parks.
Nora Brooks a furloughed customer service representative for the Internal Revenue Service poses for a photograph at her home in Philadelphia, Jan. 3, 2019. Brooks has been furloughed, worrying about whether she will need to seek a second job. The agency requires pre-approval to avoid conflicts of interest, but there's no one in the office to sign off.
A donation box sits on the counter as Dany Garcia speaks with visitors at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center in Everglades National Park, Jan. 4, 2019, in Homestead, Fla. Garcia is being paid by the Florida National Parks Association to work in the center during the partial government shutdown. As the shutdown drags on, private organizations, local businesses, volunteers and state governments are putting up the money and manpower to keep national parks across the U.S. open, safe and clean for visitors.
Federal contractor Chris Erickson paints his bathroom, Jan., 4, 2019, in North Salt Lake, Utah. Erickson says he'll run out of vacation days if the shutdown continues. The father of three from Salt Lake City will then crack into his savings, and he'll likely postpone a 14th wedding anniversary trip with his wife to a cabin. Erickson said he likely won't get the chance for reimbursement for the lost days because he's a contractor.
Workmen from the commercial cleanup company 1-800-GOT-JUNK clean up trash on The Ellipse, south of the White House, in Washington, DC on Jan. 4, 2019. The company donated resources to clean up the area.
In this Nov. 21, 2018, file photo, Justin Roth holds a handful of soybeans at the Brooklyn Elevator in Brooklyn, Iowa. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it must delay the release of key crop reports due to the partial government shutdown. The announcement on Jan. 4, 2019 left investors and farmers without vital information during an already tumultuous time for agricultural markets. The USDA planned to release the reports Jan. 11 but said that even if the shutdown ended immediately, the agency wouldn't have time to release the reports as scheduled.
Visitors to Great Smoky Mountain National Park drive through the park on Jan. 5, 2019.
Correctional Officer Joseph Pellicano who is employed at United States Penitentiary at Canaan has been on staff for 12 and half years and will be working without pay until the government shutdown ends in Jessup, Pa., on Jan. 4, 2019.
Two surfers walk past an open garbage bin and piles of trash at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, Jan. 3, 2019.
Rebecca Maclean, a housing program specialist for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Pittsburgh, sits outside her home in Pittsburgh, Jan. 3, 2019. Maclean, 41, has been on furlough since Dec. 21. Her family's financial outlook isn't dire yet since her husband, Dan Thompson, owns a knife-making business and works as an elected constable. But the couple recently sat down to prioritize which bills must be paid on time and which can be paid late without dinging their credit history.
Visitors walk past the Wall of Names at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pa. on Jan. 2, 2019. Signs were posted on all doors stating that the facilities were closed because of the government shutdown, but that the grounds are open from sunrise to sunset.
Trash lays on the grounds of the National Mall during the partial shutdown of the U.S. government on Jan. 2, 2019.
Mike Gayzagian, a 49-year-old Transportation Security Administration officer at Boston's Logan International Airport, speaks with a reporter from The Associated Press at his home in Watertown, Mass on Jan. 3, 2019. Gayzagian, who has worked for the TSA more than a decade, got his last pre-shutdown paycheck last week, and he continues to report to work, as all TSA officers have since the government closed. The 49-year-old said worrying about finances has made it difficult to concentrate on the work of keeping airports safe.
A stop sign is seen near the White House during a government shutdown in Washington on Dec. 27, 2018.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., scheduled a vote to begin debate on the president’s proposal Thursday. If that fails to get the 60 votes required, a bill that would fund all of the remaining government agencies through Feb. 8 will be voted on. 

“I want my friends, my Republican friends, to understand the stakes here. Reopening the government for three weeks may not sound like a long time, but it’s massively important to 800,000 public servants who have been languishing without pay,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor Wednesday. 

It is unclear whether either bill will make it through the Senate.

The House voted 234-180 Wednesday to approve a spending bill that would reopen eight of the nine shuttered federal departments and fund them through Sept. 30. The House plans to vote on a separate bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 28. Neither bill is likely to receive a vote in the Senate.

On Wednesday, 30 centrist Democrats sent a letter to Pelosi calling on her to offer a vote on Trump’s border wall in exchange for his support to reopen the government. The wall is unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled House.

Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., a freshman lawmaker who took the lead in drafting the letter, told reporters the message was “we need to return to regular order, we need to open the government, we need to take these issues to committee, we need to analyze them in a facts-based way.”

“We promised our constituents that we would seek bipartisan solutions, and we feel that this proposal would gain bipartisan support and allow a transparent process,” the letter reads.

Luria, who represents a district Trump won in 2016, dismissed any notion that those on the letter were breaking with their leadership.

“This (letter) is very much in line with what we were just discussing in the caucus meeting,” Luria said after Democrats met Wednesday morning.

“I don’t think there’s any division” within the caucus, Luria said.

“It’s just coming from every direction, the pain that this is inflicting on people, so we just have to get the government open,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., another freshman. “Everything I’m hearing is the caucus is really united. It has to be.” 

Contributing: Maureen Groppe

More: What’s in the Republican immigration bill, and why Democrats oppose it

More: Will government shutdown impact security at Super Bowl LIII?

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Furloughed government workers affected by the shutdown yell during a protest against the ongoing partial government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 23, 2019.
Furloughed government workers affected by the shutdown hold a silent protest against the ongoing partial government shutdown on Capitol Hill. Federal workers and their supporters stood silently for 33 minutes for the 33 days of the shutdown.
People shout slogans as they participate in the 'Occupy Hart' protest against the partial government shutdown sponsored by American Federation of Government Employees at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.
A furloughed government worker affected by the shutdown wears a shirt that reads "I Really Do Care Do U?" during a silent protest against the ongoing partial government shutdown, Wednesday, Protesters held up disposable plates instead of posters to avoid being arrested.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (2-L) walks from his office to the Senate floor to deliver remarks in the US Capitol Capitol, Wednesday. The partial US government shutdown continues into its 33rd day as competing bills are being considered in the Senate.
A protester is led away by a member of U.S. Capitol Police after she participated in a civil disobedience outside the office of Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at Senate Russell Office Building, on Wednesday. Federal employees from different unions participated in a "Occupy Hart" protest on Capitol Hill against the partial government shutdown.
A federal employee protests at the atrium of Senate Hart Office Building.
Union leaders and federal workers participate in a civil disobedience outside the office of Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) J. David Cox is led away by a member of U.S. Capitol Police after participating in a civil disobedience outside the office of Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Federal employees from different unions participated in a "Occupy Hart" civil disobedience event calling for the re
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., takes an elevator after leaving the chamber, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019. The Senate will vote on two competing proposals this week to end the partial government shutdown, but neither seems to have enough votes to advance.
Tom Miller, Covington citzen and father of a government employee, stands and chants with protestors of the government shutdow. Government employees, National Treasury Employee Unions members and citizens gather in Covington, KY outside of the IRS building to protest the government shutdown on Jan, 10, 2019.
Gregory Simpkins, president of AFGE local 778 and Bertrice Sanders, Social Security Administration Roseville office employee protest the government shutdown outside of the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building in Detroit, Jan. 10, 2019.
Social worker, Pam Harrison holds a sign protesting the government shutdown at the James V. Hansen Federal Building on in Ogden, Utah. Jan 19, 2019.
Internal Revenue Service worker Christine Helquist looks on during a federal workers protest rally at the Federal Building in Ogden, Utah, JAn. 10, 2019.
Andrew Minton holds a sign featuring U.S. Forest Service icon Smokey Bear saying "Only you can prevent forest fires. No seriously, I've been furloughed" at an organized rally to protest the federal government shutdown in Washington D.C. Jan. 8, 2019.
Government employees, National Treasury Employee Unions members and citizens gather in Covington, KY outside of the IRS building to protest the government shutdown, Jan, 10, 2019.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D, MD) speaks at a rally organized to protest the federal government shutdown in Washington D.C. Jan. 10, 2019.
Lutfiyya Dean holds a sign reading "we want to work" at a rally protesting the federal government shutdown on Jan. 10, 2019.
Federal workers Rachel Schoenian, Polly Fairfield and Jenna Larkin hold signs at a rally protesting the federal government shutdown in Washington, DA. Jan. 10, 2019.
Union members and other federal employees rally to call for an end to the partial government shutdown, Jan. 10, 2019 at AFL-CIO Headquarters in Washington.
Kathryn Gilson and Sean Ghazala furloughed federal employees who work for the National Park Service and are facing missing their first paychecks during a press conference with union leaders and immigration advocates in Staten Island, New York, jan, 10, 2019.
Government workers rally against the partial government shutdown at Federal Plaza, in Chicago, Jan. 10, 2019.
Union members and other federal employees rally to call for an end to the partial government shutdown, Jan. 10, 2019 at AFL-CIO Headquarters in Washington.
Union members and other federal employees rally to call for an end to the partial government shutdown, Jan. 10, 2019 at AFL-CIO Headquarters in Washington.
Union members and other federal employees rally to call for an end to the partial government shutdown, Jan. 10, 2019 at AFL-CIO Headquarters in Washington.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, joins government workers during a rally at Federal Plaza, Jan. 10, 2019, in Chicago. The partial government shutdown continues to drag on with hundreds of thousands of federal workers off the job or working without pay as the border wall fight persists.
Government workers rally against the partial government shutdown at Federal Plaza, Jan. 10, 2019, in Chicago.
Anthony Jernigan, a Coast Guard environmental protection specialist, held a sign that said ÒA wall, a wall! Our country for a wall!?!Ó in Washington, D.C. on Thursday as federal workers rallied for their jobs.