“The president’s insistence on the wall is a luxury the country can no longer afford,” Ms. Pelosi said on Thursday. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, suggested that Mr. McConnell was “way out to lunch” in trying to place responsibility for the shutdown on Ms. Pelosi. Her allies in the House say the speaker is hardly the sort to wilt under Mr. McConnell’s attacks. He is afraid to take on Trump.”As longtime party leaders, Ms. Pelosi and Mr. McConnell have history with each other, much of it not good given their divergent ideologies. Ms. Pelosi was a harsh critic of the 2017 tax law that Mr. McConnell championed.

Source: New York Times January 20, 2019 21:56 UTC