Donald Trump storms out of meeting with congressional leaders
Dramatic collapse in talks over funding for the border wall has shattered hopes of an imminent solution to the US shutdown.
A dramatic collapse in negotiations between Donald Trump and Democrats over funding for the border wall has shattered hopes of an imminent solution to the US government shutdown.
A day after his Oval Office address, an angry Mr Trump walked out of a meeting with Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer after they refused to consider any funding for a wall.
The president, who will visit the US-Mexico border today, (Friday AEDT) immediately called the crucial meeting ‘a total waste of time.’
“I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier? Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works!” Mr Trump tweeted.
Just left a meeting with Chuck and Nancy, a total waste of time. I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier? Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2019
Senate minority leader Senator Schumer accused the president of having ”a temper tantrum.”
“He asked Speaker Pelosi, ‘will you agree to my wall?’ She said no. And he just got up, and said, ‘Well we’ve got nothing to discuss,’” Senator Schumer said
The refusal of Democrats to consider any funding proposal which includes money for a border wall puts Mr Trump in a difficult position, with some Republicans increasingly concerned about a public backlash over the shutdown.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said she wanted the government reopened without immediate negotiations on a border wall.
“When the government is shut down there are consequences and people are starting to feel those consequences,” she said.
But Mr Trump met with House and Senate Republicans yesterday and claimed they were ‘unified’ and that it was Democrats who were more likely to cave in over the funding impasse which has triggered the almost three week shutdown.
“There was no discussion of anything other than solidarity,’ he said.
When asked how long he was willing to let the shutdown continue, he replied: “hatever it takes.”
Mr Trump said yesterday that if he backed down over his demands that Democrats agree to $5.7 billion in funding for a border wall he would be attacked by not only Republicans but also by his own supporters.
“Right now, if I did something that was foolish like gave up on border security, the first ones that would hit me are my senators. They’d be angry at me,” Mr Trump said. “The second ones would be the House and the third ones would be, frankly, my base and a lot of Republicans out there and a lot of Democrats that want to see border security.”
Mr Trump also repeated the possibility of declaring a national emergency as a way of securing funding for the wall which did not require Congressional approval.
“I think something will happen, I hope,” the president said before his aborted meeting with the Democrats. “Otherwise we’ll go about it in a different manner.”
Mr Trump claimed he had ‘the absolute authority to do a national emergency if I want” and said he would follow through “if I can’t make a deal with people that are unreasonable.”
The president continued to press the need for a border wall yesterday, describing it as a ‘medieval solution’ which worked.
“They say it’s a medieval solution, a wall. It’s true, because it worked then and it works even better now,” he said.
The latest impasse came a day after the President gave his first Oval Office address claiming the US was facing a ‘humanitarian and national security crisis’ on its southern border with Mexico.
The president portrayed the border as a pathway for uncontrolled immigration including criminals and drug runners and said a wall or physical barrier was ‘absolutely critical’ to America’s security.
The White House hoped that such a public declaration would help persuade Democrats to agree to a funding bill which would include money for the wall.
But Democrats accused the president of manufacturing the crisis and stoking fear to distract from his political problems.
They maintain they will not discuss the wall until Congress passes and Mr Trump signs a bill reopening the federal government.
The partial shutdown today enters its 20th day making it the second longest shutdown in US history. It has delayed pay for 800,000 federal workers and has impacted on a range of departments including Treasury, IRS, the Agriculture Department, the Housing and Urban Development Department, and the National Park Service.
Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia
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