Trump heads to TV, border as fed workers face paycheck sting

Trump has tasked Pence during the shutdown fight to negotiate with Democrats, including during talks over the weekend with Democratic staffers. But the vice president is increasingly being called upon to prevent defections in the GOP ranks.

Asked whether cracks were forming between the White House and Republicans eager for the shutdown to end, Pence told reporters, "We've been in touch with those members and others."He said that he and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen would be at the Capitol Tuesday and Wednesday to brief lawmakers.

Among the Republicans expressing concern was Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should take up funding bills from the Democratic-led House.

"Let's get those reopened while the negotiations continue," Collins said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."However, McConnell has said he won't take up funding bills without Trump's support.

Adding to concerns of lawmakers, federal workers who are still on the job apparently will miss this week's paychecks. Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that if the shutdown continues into Tuesday, "then payroll will not go out as originally planned on Friday night."

Trump asserted that he could relate to the plight of the federal workers who aren't getting paid, though he acknowledged they will have to "make adjustments" to deal with the shutdown shortfall.

Not so easy, many of them say.

Derrick Padilla, a corrections officer with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Colorado, has worked without pay for two weeks and said he's nearly depleted his savings.

"It's now becoming a game of, 'OK, who's going to get paid? How am I going to make this payment? What's the most important thing I have to pay for this month?'" he said.

"The bills don't go away," Padilla added. "We're expected to meet our financial obligations, and we're being put in a position to not be able to meet those obligations."

For furloughed federal workers in Washington, some at least could enjoy the prospect of baseball in a few months. The Washington Nationals said season ticket holders who are laid off or not being paid by the federal government could postpone monthly ticket payments until the government is back up and running.

Ap