Democrats strategise to reopen government

The Democrats plan to vote on two spending bills and a stopgap measure to re-open the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday when they take over the US House Majority.

"The President is using the government shutdown to try to force an expensive and ineffective wall upon the American people, but Democrats have offered two bills which separate the arguments over the wall from the government shutdown," Nancy Pelosi, the incoming House Speaker and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated, according to CNN.

The stopgap measure will aim at reopening the Department of Homeland Security at the current funding levels till February 8 - without increasing the border security money.

The Republicans, on the other hand, have stated that the Democrat's strategy will not be enough to dissolve the impasse.

"(The proposal) doesn't represent a serious attempt to secure our border or find a compromise," Mark Meadows, a Republican from North Carolina and one of Trump's closest aides stated.

A lack of consensus between lawmakers and US President Donald Trump over funding for a wall on its border with Mexico led to a partial shutdown of government agencies in the country since late December.