President Donald Trump says parts of the government will stay shut as long as Democrats refuse to build more barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, seemingly dashing hope for a holiday miracle that would soon allow several departments to reopen and employees to return to work.
Asked when the government would reopen, Trump said: “I can’t tell you when the government’s going to be open. I can tell you it’s not going to be open until we have a wall or fence, whatever they’d like to call it.”
“I’ll call it whatever they want but it’s all the same thing,” he said at the White House after offering holiday greetings to U.S. troops stationed around the country and the world.
Trump argued that drug flows and human trafficking into the U.S. can only be stopped by a wall.
“We can’t do it without a barrier. We can’t do it without a wall,” he told reporters.
Democrats oppose spending any money on a wall or fence, pushing instead for increased use of technology to control access at the border.
I am in the Oval Office & just gave out a 115 mile long contract for another large section of the Wall in Texas. We are already building and renovating many miles of Wall, some complete. Democrats must end Shutdown and finish funding. Billions of Dollars, & lives, will be saved!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2018
Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leaders of Congress, blame Trump for the stalemate and for “plunging the country into chaos.” They pointed to problems beyond the shutdown, including heavy losses on Wall Street and Trump’s decision to fire his defense secretary.
“The president wanted the shutdown, but he seems not to know how to get himself out of it,” they said in the statement.
Trump had said he’d be “proud” to shut down the government in a fight over the wall, but now blames Democrats for refusing to vote for a House-passed bill that includes the $5.7 billion he wants for the wall.
I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal on desperately needed Border Security. At some point the Democrats not wanting to make a deal will cost our Country more money than the Border Wall we are all talking about. Crazy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2018
The White House presented a counteroffer over the weekend to Schumer that is between Trump’s $5.7 billion price tag and the $1.3 billion Democrats have offered, said budget director Mick Mulvaney. He did not elaborate, but a Democratic aide granted anonymity to discuss the private talks said the White House offered $2.5 billion — an initial $2.1 billion plus $400 million Democrats called a “slush fund” for the president’s other immigration priorities.
Mulvaney said he was waiting for Schumer’s response. Schumer’s office said the parties remained “very far apart.”
Trump chimed in Monday from the White House, where he has been cooped up in the mansion since Saturday, when the shutdown began. Trump, who typically spends Christmas at his Florida estate, tweeted at one point Monday about feeling lonely.
“I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal on desperately needed Border Security,” he tweeted. “At some point the Democrats not wanting to make a deal will cost our Country more money than the Border Wall we are all talking about. Crazy!”
The Wall is different than the 25 Billion Dollars in Border Security. The complete Wall will be built with the Shutdown money plus funds already in hand. The reporting has been inaccurate on the point. The problem is, without the Wall, much of the rest of Dollars are wasted!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2018
Trump met Monday on border security with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other department officials. Senate negotiators continued talks behind the scenes with Democrats and Republicans. The House and Senate briefly gaveled into session on Christmas Eve before quickly closing again with no further action.
Several Cabinet departments and agencies have been closed since Saturday after their funding lapsed, and Mulvaney warned the shutdown could stretch into January, when Democrats are set to take back control the House.
Trump excused federal employees from work on Monday and Christmas is a federal holiday, meaning the public could begin feeling the shutdown’s effects on Wednesday. Some 800,000 federal workers must either work without pay for the time being, or stay home and wait to be paid later.
Trump promised to make Mexico pay for the border wall. Mexico has refused.
Virtually every Democrat we are dealing with today strongly supported a Border Wall or Fence. It was only when I made it an important part of my campaign, because people and drugs were pouring into our Country unchecked, that they turned against it. Desperately needed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2018
The most important way to stop gangs, drugs, human trafficking and massive crime is at our Southern Border. We need Border Security, and as EVERYONE knows, you can’t have Border Security without a Wall. The Drones & Technology are just bells and whistles. Safety for America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2018
(AP)
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8 Responses
The Pelosi Schumer No Border Security Shutdown continues.
Wow, what a great negotiator. The dumbest most incompetent fool ever to hold the office.
Or there maybe an Agreement about something else like to impeach the current president and the next prez will stop the shutdown.
Who really cares if the government shuts down they make a whole big deal of nothing
Trump has lost his mind if he actually claims that he ” just gave out a 115 mile long contract for another large section of the Wall”. The President doesn’t give out contracts under any circumstances. Didn’t Trump repeat for 2 years that Mexico is going to pay for the wall? Why now is he insisting that the American taxpayers fund a $5 billion dollar wall that’s of questionable value, especially now that border crossings are at an all time low?
The fact is that most illegals enter the US through an airport and overstay their visa. Trump seems to think that facts don’t matter and that it’s his job to appease commentators on a cable TV network.
Most of the government is open in any event. Only about a quarter of the agencies are affected and many of the people at those agencies are “essential”. And of the remaining handful, many would be on vacation this time of year (“use it or lose it”, combined with three weekday holidays during a two week period). Most of those will end up taking vacation without being charged for leave (though if they have “use it or lose” it wold be lost anyway).
While it is admirable of Trump to stick to a campaign promise (especially one not supported by polling data), and for Schumer and Pelosi to stick to their principles, it is someone farcical to stage a “shutdown” that affects very few people. Its not a “shutdown” unless they really shut things down.
It’s a shutdown when I’m not getting paid and I can’t afford rent or tuition and groceries for my kids.
rt, I guess you forgot about Jimmy Carter and his Israel & Apartheid book (A liberal like you should read it, you’ll enjoy reading about how aggressive Israel and Jews are to the rest of the world). Maybe you forgot about FDR and his wonderful efforts to help save European Jews during World War 2 and Hitler (You should drive up to Hyde Park NY to visit his library, there is an entire wall in his presidential library which discusses about FDR’s mishaps of not saving Jews, Gypsies, and Gays from Hitler). Maybe you forgot about Bill Clinton and his gevaldik’ behavior in his second term.
But no…… the Jerusalem Embassy, Shlomo Rubashkin, Torah-traditional- minded judges mean nothing to you. Trump is far from perfect, but your usage of absolute terms to describe him have no sources or references to back up your OPINIONS.