Democrats Respond to Trump's Oval Office Speech House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led the response. They called out the president for choosing "fear" over "facts" and urged him to "end this shutdown." The U.S. government has been under a partial shutdown for almost three weeks. Pelosi called Trump's focus on the border wall an "obsession." She referred to the shutdown as Trump holding critical services and the American people "hostage." Schumer stated that the shutdown and the border security should be treated as two separate issues. Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader
