Move FM Global News

WASHINGTON, U.S. – On Friday, with the true impact of the ongoing partial U.S. Federal Government shutdown starting to sting several industries and workers, the U.S. President Donald Trump held a highly contentious meeting with the Democrats.

With Trump remaining adamant on his demand for funds to construct his signature wall on the Mexican border and the Democrats refusing to budge from their denial of the funds – talks to end the partial shutdown came to a close without any agreement.

The U.S. President has plunged the government into partial shutdown since December 22, after refusing to sign any spending bill that would fully fund the government but would not include funds for his wall.

Gritty battle to ‘build the wall’

Trump is demanding $5.6 billion for the wall, which was one of his key campaign promises during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. 

Since assuming office, the U.S. President has repeatedly insisted that he would get Mexico to pay for the border wall, but has refused to explain how he plans to achieve that. 

In December, the Congress and Trump failed to reach an agreement over a budget bill, initiating a fiscal fiasco since financing for several federal government offices expired.

Despite holding a majority in the House, Republicans did not succeed at getting the necessary 60 votes in the 100 seat Senate last month to pass their initial funding bill, which included the $5 billion for the wall. 

This resulted in a partial shutdown that forced about 380,000 government employees to take temporary, unpaid leave, while about 420,000 employees have had to work without getting paid for it.

Since December 22, around 800,000 federal workers have been without pay.

Last week, some top Trump administration officials confirmed that Democrats had been offered a deal with $2.5 billion for the border wall.

This week, with the House majority shifting to Democrats, even though multiple talks to end the shutdown have been held, the stalemate has continued.

On Thursday, Democrats passed spending bills with $1.3 billion allocated to border security funds, in a bid to reopen the government.

However, the legislation would have to pass the Republican-controlled Senate.

Calling the Democratic budget “a time-wasting act of political posturing,” leader of the Republican-controlled Senate, Mitch McConnell clarified that his party would not back any measure without the president’s support.

On Friday, as the shutdown went on for a fourteenth day, top Republicans and Democrats met with the U.S. President in the White House for more than two hours.

However, addressing a news conference outside the White House after emerging from their meeting, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Shumer said that there is no deal to re-open the government.

Pelosi told reporters that talks with the President were “contentious.”

She added, “We recognize on the Democratic side that we really cannot resolve this until we open up government and we made that very clear to the president.”

Schumer explained, “We made a plea to the president once again: don’t hold millions of Americans, hundreds of thousands of workers, hostage. Open up the government, and let’s continue the discussions.”

He further added that Trump had indicated during the meeting, that he was willing to ride the shutdown out.

Referring to Trump, Schumer said, “He resisted. In fact, he said he’d keep the government closed for a very long period of time, months or even years. It is very hard to see how progress will be made unless the open up the government.”

However, after the meeting behind closed doors, Trump declared to reporters, that “progress” was made.

While he refused to reveal any details, the President claimed, “We had a very, very productive meeting, and we’ve come a long way.”

Trump said that he was setting up a working group led by Vice President Mike Pence that would meet over the weekend to discuss how to move forward on the shutdown.

Switching the tone

Trump’s initial version of how the meeting had gone down on Friday contradicted the version presented by Democrats.

Accompanied by the Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Pence, Republican Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Trump again spoke to reporters at the Rose Garden.

At the impromptu press conference, Trump took on a whole new tone, clarifying that he was in no mood to compromise. 

The President delivered a free-wheeling performance, in which he first described the wall as a vital national security measure and later threatened extraordinary measures to build the wall.

Trump said that he could use his emergency powers to build the wall that he claimed is needed to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the U.S. 

He disclosed that he had considered declaring a national emergency to build the wall without legislative approval, telling reporters, “I can do it, if I want.”

Trump said, “We can call a national emergency because of the security of our country. Absolutely. No, we can do it. I haven’t done it. I may do it. We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly.”

He said he could declare a national emergency “because of the security of our country, absolutely,” but then said that he would prefer to do it through a “negotiated process” with lawmakers.

Trump added, “I’m very proud of doing what I’m doing. I don’t call it a shutdown, I call it doing what you have to do for the benefit and safety of our country.”

He then said, “You can call it whatever you want. You can call it the Schumer, or the Pelosi, or the Trump shutdown. Doesn’t make any difference to me. Just words.”

The wall project proposed by Trump is estimated to cost about $23 billion.