President Trump on Wednesday invited congressional leaders of both parties to the White House to restart talks on the longest government shutdown of all time. In the meeting, President Trump asked Democratic leaders whether they had any new proposals to resolve the impasse. But is soon became clear that they did not.
President Trump asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi whether she would approve the request of $5.7 billion for a border barrier within 30 days of full reopening on the government. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to agree to allocate any money for his border fence, regardless of when the government reopens, which ended the most contentious meeting yet in the 19-day old government shutdown. President Trump then walked out of the meeting.
The stormy meeting was in contrast to the president’s visit an hour earlier to the Capitol, where he followed up his Tuesday night speech in his first televised Oval Office address to provide $5.7 billion this year to help fund his proposal for stronger border security by building a concrete wall or steel barriers on the U.S. border with Mexico. President Trump’s Oval office speech came 18 days into a partial government shutdown precipitated by his demand for the wall.
The President went to the Capitol to meet over lunch with Senate Republicans to be sure they were unified in supporting the demand for the border wall. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said of his caucus “we’re all behind the president,” although some GOP senators are pushing for the shutdown to end, suggesting that the shutdown could drag long into January.
On Thursday, President Trump traveled to the southern border at McAllen, Texas to further highlight the need for border barriers, where he meet with people “on the front lines of the national security and humanitarian crisis,” said White house press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday.
In his Oval Office address on Tuesday, the President said he has the authority to declare a national emergency, but stopped short of declaring such an emergency that would allow him to order the military to build a barrier on the border. But, the president seems now to be hinting he might use presidential powers to declare an emergency as a first step toward directing money for the wall without congressional approved.
“This barrier is absolutely critical to border security,” Trump said. “It’s also what our professionals at the border want and need.” “All Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages,” the President said.
