President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday in a lengthy series of tweets that the U.S. military will build his proposed southern border wall if Democratic lawmakers refuse to allocate funds for it.
…..I look forward to my meeting with Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi. In 2006, Democrats voted for a Wall, and they were right to do so. Today, they no longer want Border Security. They will fight it at all cost, and Nancy must get votes for Speaker. But the Wall will get built…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018
….People do not yet realize how much of the Wall, including really effective renovation, has already been built. If the Democrats do not give us the votes to secure our Country, the Military will build the remaining sections of the Wall. They know how important it is!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018
(L-R) U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi attend the congressional Gold Medal ceremony for former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 17, 2018 in Washington D.C. (Photo by Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images)
Trump referenced his scheduled Tuesday morning meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the next likely House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump is meeting with the Democratic leaders to try and come to an agreement on border wall funding.
“Republicans still control the House, the Senate, and the White House, and they have the power to keep government open. Our country cannot afford a Trump Shutdown, especially at this time of economic uncertainty,” Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint Monday statement.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 06: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks to the media during her weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol on September 6, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Democrats have declared that they will only go so far as to give Trump 1.3 billion dollars for border security funding in the latest spending bill, while Republicans have said the president must get at least 5 billion. The two sides have been at an impasse for nearly a month of negotiations with the deadline coming the Friday before Christmas.
Speculation abounds in Washington as to the likelihood of a government shutdown over the issue, though any shutdown would not completely cripple all necessary functions. Congress has already funded nearly three-fourths of the government and a partial shutdown would lessen the stakes involved over negotiations.