WASHINGTON (AP) — A first round of talks between White House officials and congressional aides has made little progress toward ending the government shutdown, with each side accusing the other of giving no ground. With the talks stalled, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said House Democrats intend to start passing individual bills to reopen agencies. Democrats said the White House did not budge on the president's key demand, $5.6 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. A White House official said the meeting included a briefing on border security by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Democrats sought written details from the Department of Homeland Security on their budget needs; the White House said it would provide that.

Source: Economic Times January 06, 2019 13:07 UTC