Crenshaw shuts down Dem Rep. Omar, who accused him of 'virtue signaling' by refusing shutdown pay

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) asked Monday to have his congressional salary withheld during the partial government shutdown. When one of his Democratic colleagues criticized the gesture, he used her own words to point out the hypocrisy of her position.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) called Crenshaw out on Twitter:

"We aren't paid until Feb 1st, so no pay to withhold now," Omar wrote. "Vote to reopen the government like we did & give hardworking Fed employees their paychecks. That's caring! Stop this virtue signaling Congressman, the American people need this to end now, not Feb. 1st."

Crenshaw responded by redirecting Omar's message toward her fellow Democrats who had also asked for their pay to be withheld.

"To my Democrat colleagues who are also (rightfully) withholding your pay during the shutdown—your colleague @IlhanMN would prefer you stop virtue signaling and end the shutdown," Crenshaw wrote. "Can we have a serious discussion about border security now? That'd be great."

Although House Democrats have been passing legislation that would reopen the government, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has refused to take a vote on because they don't include border wall funding, Democrats are apparently unwilling to even come to the negotiating table at this point.

President Donald Trump extended an invitation to congressional Democrats for a lunch meeting Tuesday to discuss border security — and no one accepted.

"Today, the President offered both Democrats and Republicans the chance to meet for lunch at the White House," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "Unfortunately, no Democrats will attend. The President looks forward to having a working lunch with House Republicans to solve the border crisis and reopen the government."