Politics Melania Trump's Mar-a-Lago Christmas Canceled by President's Decision to Stay in D.C. Amid Shutdown Hours after the partial government shutdown began on Saturday, the president tweeted that he was canceling his trip to Florida By Maria Pasquini Maria Pasquini Associate Editor, Human Interest - PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 23, 2018 03:23 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Alex Wong/Getty The Trump family won’t be celebrating Christmas together at Mar-a-Lago this year, even though First Lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump already made the trip to Florida. Hours after the partial government shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, President Donald Trump tweeted that he was canceling his trip to Florida. “I will not be going to Florida because of the Shutdown,” wrote Mr. Trump, 72. Although the Senate — which has yet to come to an agreement over funding for Mr. Trump’s proposed border wall — has been adjourned until Thursday, the president added that he would be “staying in the White House” over the Christmas holiday. The decision comes as hundreds of thousands of federal employees are sent home without pay and some federal services come to an abrupt halt. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement about the Trumps’ travel plans, saying, “Due to the shutdown, President Trump will remain in Washington, D.C. and the First Lady will return from Florida so they can spend Christmas together.” The first lady, 48, and Barron, 12, left for the Trump-owned Palm Beach resort on Friday. The family had originally planned to spend more than two weeks at Mar-a-Lago, according to Politico. Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock Trump Used to Make Melania Call His Staff So He Could Dictate Tweets Over the Phone It remains unclear where the rest of the president’s children will spend their Christmas holidays. Although Eric Trump and his wife Lara were photographed in Florida on Saturday, Donald Trump Jr. shared several videos and photos from a trip to North Carolina over the weekend. RELATED VIDEO: Watch: Natasha Stoynoff Breaks Silence, Accuses Donald Trump of Sexual Assault The government shutdown centers around a proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, which was a centerpiece of Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign. Although Mr. Trump initially promised that Mexico would foot the bill for the wall, he has since demanded that $5 billion for the wall be allotted in Congress’ yet-to-be-passed plan to fund part of the government, which was due on Friday at midnight, The New York Times reported. Melania Trump Defends Red White House Christmas Trees After Online Criticism: ‘They Look Fantastic’ Melania Trump. FLOTUS/Twitter The House passed the bill on Thursday, but it stalled in the Senate as Republicans and Democrats were not able to come to an agreement. As a resolution had yet to be met, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Saturday adjourned the Senate until Thursday. In a confrontational meeting with Vice President Mike Pence, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier this month, Mr. Trump said that he would be “proud to shut down the government for border security.” This is the third government shutdown during the president’s time in office.