President Donald Trump and top Democrats met again Friday in an attempt to end the ongoing government shutdown over border wall funding, and things apparently did not go well.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said afterward the two-hour meeting was contentious, and that Trump threatened to keep the government closed for months or even years if he’s not given funding for the border wall. Trump’s proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border was the centerpiece of his campaign — when he said at the time that Mexico would pay for it.
Trump also has said a number of times — as recently has Jan. 2 — that Mexico is paying for the wall through his revamped NAFTA deal, the USMCA, though it is unclear how as of yet. The USMCA has not been signed into law by Congress.
Mexico is paying for the Wall through the new USMCA Trade Deal. Much of the Wall has already been fully renovated or built. We have done a lot of work. $5.6 Billion Dollars that House has approved is very little in comparison to the benefits of National Security. Quick payback!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2019
Trump is demanding $5.6 billion for the border wall, and he threatened to keep nine federal government departments closed “for a very long period of time — months or even years,” Schumer said.
Per CNBC:
In comments delivered later Friday from the White House Rose Garden, Trump described the meeting as “very productive.” He said that he had designated a group to advance talks over the weekend.
Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi both said they urged Republicans to temporarily reopen the government while they seek a solution on border security. On Thursday night, House Democrats passed legislation to fund eight closed departments through Sept. 30, and the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8.
Democrats say so would end the uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of federal workers who face missing paychecks while leaders hash out an immigration agreement. But Trump has threatened to veto any legislation that does not fund his wall. The GOP-controlled Senate has pledged not to take up any proposal that the president refuses to sign.
“We cannot resolve this until we open up government, and we made that very clear to the president,” Pelosi, who started her second stint as speaker on Thursday, told reporters outside the White House.
Trump is set to make remarks about the meeting on Friday afternoon. The White House did not immediately respond to Schumer’s remark that Trump threatened to keep the government closed for a long period of time.
He has called a barrier necessary to securing U.S. borders — though he has not made it clear exactly what he wants in a structure on the U.S.-Mexico border. Earlier this week, Trump said he would wait “as long as it takes” to see his demands met.
The partial shutdown entered its 14th day on Friday with no resolution in sight. Both the House and Senate adjourned Friday until Tuesday, meaning the closure will carry into next week unless lawmakers agree to a swift compromise.
As it dragged on Friday, Schumer accused the president of holding federal workers “hostage.”
