House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, meets with reporters at her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (Associated Press) 
 
 House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, meets with reporters at her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (Associated Press) 
 
 House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, meets with reporters at her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (Associated Press) House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, meets with reporters at her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday rejected the idea of paying for President Donald Trump's border wall in exchange for helping hundreds of thousands of young immigrants avoid deportation. 
 
 Funding for the wall — a top Trump priority — and legal protections for so-called Dreamers, a key Democratic goal, should not be linked, Pelosi said. 
 
 "They're two different subjects," she said. 
 
 Her comments came as the House and Senate approved a stopgap bill Thursday to keep the government funded through Dec. 21. The measure, approved by voice votes in near-empty chambers, now goes to the White House. 
 
 Trump has promised to sign the two-week extension to allow for ceremonies this week honoring former President George H.W. Bush, who died Nov. 30. But he wants the next funding package to include at least $5 billion for his proposed wall, something Democrats have rejected. Trump is set to meet Tuesday at the White House with Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. 
 
 In a tweet late Thursday, Trump warned of the potential for "Big danger" at the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, demanding, "Nancy and Chuck must approve Boarder Security and the Wall!" 
 
 Pelosi, who is seeking to become House speaker in January, said the lame-duck Congress should now pass a half-dozen government funding bills that key committees have already agreed on, along with a separate measure funding the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the border. Funding for the homeland agency should address border security and does not necessarily include a wall, Pelosi said. 
 
 Most Democrats consider the wall "immoral, ineffective and expensive," Pelosi said, noting that Trump promised during the 2016 campaign that Mexico would pay for it, an idea Mexican leaders have repeatedly rejected. 
 
 Even if Mexico did pay for the wall, "it's immoral still," Pelosi said. 
 
 Protecting borders "is a responsibility we honor, but we do so by honoring our values as well," she added. 
 
 Schumer said Thursday that a bipartisan Senate plan for $1.6 billion in border security funding does not include money for the 30-foot-high (9-meter-high) concrete wall Trump has envisioned. The money "can only be used for fencing" and technology that experts say is appropriate and makes sense as a security feature, Schumer said. 
 
 If Republicans object to the proposal because of pressure from Trump, Schumer said lawmakers should follow Pelosi's advice and approve six appropriations bills and a separate measure extending current funding for Homeland Security. 
 
 Either option would avert a partial government shutdown, which lawmakers from both parties oppose, he said. 
 
 "The one and only way we approach a shutdown is if President Trump refuses both of our proposals and demands $5 billion or more for a border wall," Schumer said. He called the wall "a nonstarter" for Democrats, who face increasing pressure from outside groups and liberal lawmakers to resist Trump's continued push for the barrier, which Trump says is needed to stop an "invasion" of Central American migrants and others from crossing into the country illegally. 
 
 Schumer called the spat over the wall unnecessary, noting that the administration has not spent more than $1 billion approved for border security in the budget year that ended Sept. 30. "The idea that they haven't spent last year's money and they're demanding such a huge amount this year makes no sense at all," he said. 
 
 Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby said he prefers to include Homeland Security in an omnibus package containing seven unresolved spending bills for the current budget year. 
 
 "I believe the best route is to keep all seven together and pass them," the Alabama Republican told reporters Thursday. Lawmakers have "made a lot of progress" in recent weeks on the seven spending bills. "I'd like to conclude it,'" he said. 
 
 Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, a member of Republican leadership, said the key question is whether Trump will sign a bill without funding for the wall. 
 
 "It doesn't matter how much appetite there is for a shutdown anywhere else, if he is willing to have a shutdown over this issue," Blunt said. "He has given every indication that he would." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Padmananda Rama contributed to this story. ||||| For more than a year, Trump has shown willingness to let the government shut down in order to secure wall funding. Last month, he said he would be "totally willing" to do so. If spending talks crumble, funding will lapse for seven government agencies — including the Department of Homeland Security, which is crucial to enforcement of U.S. immigration policy. 
 
 At least two possible solutions have surfaced: approving a smaller chunk of money for border security, or extending current funding levels for up to a year and passing off the political battle to the next Congress. 
 
 "Republicans still control the House, the Senate, and the White House, and they have the power to keep government open. Our country cannot afford a Trump Shutdown, especially at this time of economic uncertainty," Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement Monday. "This holiday season, the president knows full well that his wall proposal does not have the votes to pass the House and Senate, and should not be an obstacle to a bipartisan agreement." 
 
 In a string of tweets Tuesday morning ahead of the meeting, Trump appeared to lower expectations for approving his desired border wall funding. He said "I look forward to my meeting" with Schumer and Pelosi but claimed the lawmakers "no longer want" border security. Democrats have repeatedly disputed that claim, as they passed an additional $1.6 billion for border security in last year's spending bill. 
 
 Trump claimed "the Wall will get built" even if Democrats do not approve the money. He contended that "people do not realize how much of the Wall, including really effective renovation, has already been built." While Congress has allocated money to build new fencing or replace existing structures on the border during Trump's administration, it has not constructed any of the "wall" prototypes that the president desires. 
 
 He claimed the military would "build the remaining sections of the Wall" if Democrats do not approve cash to construct it. It is unclear how that would happen, as Congress already passed a Defense Department spending bill without border wall funding. Trump sent troops to the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this year as he tried to stoke concerns about an approaching "caravan" of Central American migrants. 
 
 In a tweet last week that misspelled "border," Trump said "Nancy and Chuck must approve Boarder Security and the Wall!" 
 
 Pelosi has drawn a line in the sand as she prepares to lead the House. Last week, the California Democrat said she would not approve border wall funding in exchange for legal protections for young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children — a deal Democrats were reportedly open to earlier in the Trump administration. Pelosi called them "two different subjects." 
 
 Beyond the considerations of keeping the government open, Pelosi also has to deal with dynamics within her party as she tries to secure enough votes to become speaker next month. Some current and incoming House Democrats have agitated not to give Trump a cent for his immigration goals. The leaders of the current GOP-held House support $5 billion in border wall money. 
 
 As his party's Senate seats will dwindle to 47 from 49 next month, Schumer has shown more willingness to compromise with Trump than Pelosi has. He has supported a bipartisan deal to approve $1.6 billion in funding for border security fencing — but not a "wall" as Trump describes it. Lawmakers approved the same sum for border security in last year's spending bill. 
 
 Last month, Schumer accused Trump of throwing a "temper tantrum" over the wall and said "the president is the only person who holds the ultimate responsibility for a government shutdown."
– House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday rejected the idea of paying for President Trump's border wall in exchange for helping hundreds of thousands of young immigrants avoid deportation. Funding for the wall—a top Trump priority—and legal protections for so-called Dreamers, a key Democratic goal, should not be linked, Pelosi said. "They're two different subjects," and most Democrats consider the wall "immoral, ineffective, and expensive," Pelosi said. Her comments came as the House and Senate approved a stopgap bill Thursday to keep the government funded through Dec. 21, the AP reports. The measure, approved by voice votes in near-empty chambers, now goes to the White House. Trump has promised to sign the two-week extension to allow for ceremonies this week honoring former President George HW Bush, who died Nov. 30. But he wants the next funding package to include at least $5 billion for his proposed wall, something Democrats have rejected. Trump is set to meet Tuesday at the White House with Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer said Thursday that a bipartisan Senate plan for $1.6 billion in border security funding does not include money for the 30-foot-high concrete wall Trump has envisioned. In a tweet late Thursday, Trump warned of the potential for "Big danger" at the US-Mexico border in Arizona, demanding, "Nancy and Chuck must approve Boarder Security and the Wall!" (Trump says he is "totally willing" to shut down the government if funding for the wall is not approved.)