Democrats on Capitol Hill are planning a quick legislative blitz to try to end the US government shutdown, making the issue their first order of business when they take partial control of Congress this week.

The aim is to pressure President Donald Trump into caving in, as the budgetary stand-off over the president’s mooted border wall threatens to run into a third week. 

Nancy Pelosi, who is expected to lead the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives starting on Thursday, and Chuck Schumer, the party’s leader in the Senate, said in a joint statement that they were preparing to “take action to lead our country out of this mess”. They said they would work to pass separate bills that would allow funding for the country’s federal agencies.