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US Government in partial shutdown after Trump unveils ‘beautiful’ border wall design

Tense negotiations will soon continue in Washington after Donald Trump followed through on his threat with a US government shutdown if politicians failed to reach an agreement over funding for a border wall.

Emma Reynolds and Megan Palin
7 min read
December 23, 2018 - 1:28AM
Donald Trump has unveiled a “beautiful” spiked design for the US-Mexico border wall.
Donald Trump has unveiled a “beautiful” spiked design for the US-Mexico border wall.

The US government is in partial shutdown after politicians failed to reach an agreement over funding for the Mexican border wall.

Negotiations are expected to continue in Washington today to try to end the partial government shutdown, and the House and Senate have scheduled rare Saturday sessions.

President Donald Trump’s team was on Capitol Hill late Friday trying to broker a deal with Congress as he pushed for $5 billion in funding for the construction of the controversial wall.

But, with Democrats staunchly opposed, they remain in a deadlock. The absence of an elusive deal meant federal funds for several key government agencies, including NASA, lapsed at midnight (4pm Saturday AEDT).

“We’re going to have a shutdown,” Mr Trump said via video message on Twitter less than three hours from the deadline on Friday.

“There’s nothing we can do about that because we need the Democrats to give us their votes. “The shutdown hopefully will not last long.”

Seventy five per cent of government funding has already been approved for the budget year that started in October and will be unaffected. But the shutdown is expected to cut off spending for nine of the 15 cabinet-level federal departments, including Homeland Security, Justice, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture and State.

Operations for several key agencies ceased in the early hours of Saturday, local time. That will cause about 800,000 government employees to stop getting paid just days out from Christmas, and about 380,000 of them will stop working, according to a Senate committee report. Senators have passed legislation so workers receive back pay but that won’t be actioned until the situation is resolved. Access to national parks during the holidays are likely be thrown into disarray as a result of the shutdown, and travellers could face severe delays. The shutdown could cost the US economy billions of dollars and it remains unclear how long it will last.

The shutdown comes after Mr Trump called for the “nuclear option” in a barrage of tweets and warned the closure of vital agencies would “last for a very long time”.

“Shutdown today if Democrats do not vote for Border Security!” he wrote.

Mr Trump had appeared to reverse his hard line position earlier this week, when White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the administration did not want to close the government and would “look at other ways” to get the $US5 billion ($A7 billion) for the wall.

By Thursday afternoon all bets were off, and the President called Republican leaders from the House of Representatives to the White House, ordering them to push through a funding bill that included the figure.

Now, the shutdown appears imminent, with Mr Trump insisting the potential closure at midnight Eastern Time would be the Democrats’ responsibility.

BORDER WALL DESIGN UNVEILED

Earlier in the day, Mr Trump unveiled a design for the border wall he wants built between the country and Mexico and described the spiked barrier as “beautiful”.

Mr Trump tweeted an image of the design, which showed the steel bars with sharp, pointed tips, and said it was “totally effective”.

Online critics said it wasn’t a wall but a “steel picket fence” and that anyone with a purpose-built ladder could still find their way over it or possibly even through it. One supporter called the design “bold and brave”.

“The Democrats, are saying loud and clear that they do not want to build a Concrete Wall — but we are not building a Concrete Wall, we are building artistically designed steel slats, so that you can easily see through it,” Mr Trump tweeted Tuesday.

During a bill signing Friday, Mr Trump said he didn’t care what people called it: “One way or the other we’re going to get a wall, we’re going to get a barrier, we’re going to get anything you want to name it. You can name it anything you want.”

He later praised the House for “approving strong border security and the money necessary to take care of the barrier, wall or steel slats.”

During his campaign, Mr Trump promised to build a “big, beautiful wall” made of concrete, rebar and steel across the length of the southern border, to keep out illegal immigrants. Back then, he lashed out at the suggestion that what he was proposing had anything in common with fencing,

“Jeb Bush just talked about my border proposal to build a “fence.” It’s not a fence, Jeb, it’s a WALL, and there’s a BIG difference!” he tweeted in 2015.

And just before taking office, Mr Trump corrected a reporter who described the concept as a fence.

“It’s not a fence, it’s a wall. You just misreported it,” Mr Trump said at a post-election press conference.

‘ANOTHER TEMPER TANTRUM’

The majority-GOP House approved Mr Trump’s funding bill as directed, but Democratic Senators have vowed to block it, with the party only willing to approve $US1.3 billion ($A1.8 billion) for border security.

“We will get it done, one way or the other!” Mr Trump tweeted on Friday morning. “The Democrats now own the shutdown!”

But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer hit back: “The Senate UNANIMOUSLY passed a bipartisan solution to avoid a shutdown. Then you threw another temper tantrum and convinced the House to ignore that compromise.”

Donald Trump is ready to shut down the government if he does not get $7 billion in funding for his border wall. Picture: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Donald Trump is ready to shut down the government if he does not get $7 billion in funding for his border wall. Picture: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Mr Trump was resolute in the face of impending chaos. “People don’t want Open Borders and Crime!” he tweeted.

He claimed there was “nothing else’s (sic) that will work” to fix immigration issues in the US other than a wall along the southern border with Mexico.

He compared his wall to the wheel, insisting “there is nothing better” and that he “knows tech better than anyone”.

Mr Trump told reporters at a bill signing the chances of a shutdown were now “probably pretty good”, according to CNN.

“It’s really up to the Democrats,” he said. “Totally up to the Democrats as to whether or not we have the shutdown.

“It’s possible we will have a shutdown. I would say the chances are probably very good because I don’t think Democrats care so much about this issue.”

While the Republicans have a slim majority in the Senate, 60 votes out of 100 were needed to approve legislation, meaning the party needs to find support from some Democrats.

The “nuclear option” is a procedure that allows the Senate to override this and end a debate with a simple majority of 51 votes.

Ms Sanders said Mr Trump would “love” House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to lower the threshold.

He tweeted: “Mitch, use the Nuclear Option and get it done! Our Country is counting on you!”

Mr McConnell has not previously seemed open to raising the option, but overnight urged senators to “not end the year the way we began” with a shutdown over immigration. “Let’s pass it and let’s finish our work for this year,” he said. “Let’s secure our country.”

SPIRALLING TOWARDS SHUTDOWN

The wall has long been Mr Trump’s signature promise, and one he sees as vital to winning re-election in 2020.

Last week, he claimed he would be “proud” to shut down the government if Congress did not approve his funding. During a public spat with Democrat leaders in a televised Oval Office meeting, Mr Trump said he would “wear the mantle” if a shutdown took place.

But by Friday, he had changed his tune, and was ready to blame the other side. “If enough Dems don’t vote, it will be a Democrat Shutdown!” he tweeted.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi have said the party will need approve the bill, which includes the border wall funding. Picture: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi have said the party will need approve the bill, which includes the border wall funding. Picture: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

It unleashed a war of words between the two sides, with Mr Schumer telling reporters late on Thursday: “The bill that’s on the floor of the House, everyone knows will not pass the Senate.”

Kevin McCarthy, leader of Republican politicians in the House, said: “Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats now have to decide whether it is worth shutting down the government to keep us from securing our border.”

Some senators blamed a “hissy fit” thrown by conservative radio hosts for the country’s nightmare position. “I am astonished. We had a deal … and then because Rush Limbaugh had a hissy fit we’re back here today,” said Senator Joe Donnelly, according to BuzzFeed.

Ms Sanders had indicated a reversal on Tuesday, saying the administration did not want a shutdown and would look at “other ways to get to” the $US5 billion ($A7 billion) Mr Trump wants to build his wall.

There was discussion of using defence money to fund it.

But Mr Trump ignored many advisers by backing away from a stopgap bill without the wall money that would have averted the looming closures.

The Senate is being called back to session to consider the package approved by the House, but is expected to reject it.

House Speaker Paul Ryan walks to the chamber as a revised spending bill was introduced that includes the money demanded by Mr Trump — and is set to be rejected by the Senate. Picture: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
House Speaker Paul Ryan walks to the chamber as a revised spending bill was introduced that includes the money demanded by Mr Trump — and is set to be rejected by the Senate. Picture: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The White House cancelled Mr Trump’s planned trip to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday afternoon, according to an internal email seen by Politico.

He will remain in Washington to try to thrash out an agreement that works for both sides.

Congress is staring down the barrel of its third shutdown in two years.

Trump's Terrible Year

— With wires

megan.palin@news.com.au | @Megan_Palin

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/use-the-nuclear-option-us-hurtles-towards-shutdown-as-trump-returns-to-battle/news-story/9790a933b42f890cbedcdc99bb58ab66