President Donald Trump said on Wednesday during a meeting with his cabinet that Democrats refused to negotiate on ending the partial government shutdown, referencing Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D., Calif.) decision to vacation in Hawaii rather than stay in Washington, D.C.
"I was lonely over the weekend. I was in Washington ... hoping that we'd see a little action, [hoping] I'd get a call that said 'let's get together and let's work hard.' But they chose Hawaii over Washington," Trump said.
The Washington Free Beacon reported last week that Pelosi, the incoming speaker of the House, vacationed in Hawaii over the holidays while the government was shut down.
Pelosi, who has put blame squarely on President Donald Trump for the current government shutdown, was spotted Thursday vacationing in Hawaii at the Fairmont Orchid resort, where room accommodations range from $899-a-night for a standard room to $4,899-a-night for the presidential suite.
Trump has been attempting to negotiate with congressional Democratic leaders over a funding bill that would resolve the partial government shutdown. Part of the government has been shut down for 12 days due to Trump demanding funding for his border wall and Democrats insisting no funding be used for a wall.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway also slammed Pelosi for vacationing in Hawaii during the shutdown.
"Nancy Pelosi needs to come back from Hawaii. Less hula, more moola for the DHS and Customs and Border Patrol, funding our border security," Conway said on Sunday.
"I really believe they want to do something. There has been a lot of good discussions going on. Some of the talent we have around the table, they have been working hard," Trump added. "You can't have border security without the wall, a very strong barrier. It has to be very powerful, something that people cannot just walk through."