President Donald Trump invited a group of Senate Democrats to the White House to meet with him as another government shutdown loomed, but their invitation was rejected. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty ImagesThe Daily Beast confirmed reporting by CNN that a group of rank-and-file Democratic senators were invited to the White House, but they declined. “The White House hopes to avoid another debilitating government shutdown, and invited Democrats for a listening session to better understand their position,” a senior White House official said. A vote on the six-bill package, including DHS funding, is set for Thursday. GOP lawmakers oppose removing DHS funding from it because it would then have to go back to the House for final passage.