US President Donald Trump on Friday, 4 January, said he was prepared to keep the US government closed for a year or more, as he stood firm on his contentious demand for billions of dollars to fund a border wall with Mexico.
Trump confirmed he said as much in a meeting earlier on Friday with top Democrats that failed to produce a deal on ending the two-week shutdown.
“Absolutely I said that,” Trump said, adding, “I don’t think it will. But I am prepared.”
Speaking to the media, after holding talks with Democratic leaders in the House, Trump told the reporters that he has considered using executive authority to get a wall built on the southern border.
Trump also said that he could officially declare a national emergency to build a border wall but wants to try and negotiate with the Congress.
“I can do it if I want. We can call a national emergency. I may do it.”Donald Trump, US President
Trump asserted that he wouldn’t reopen the government until the border security dispute is over.
“We think it can go very quickly. We won’t be opening until it’s solved. We think this is a much bigger problem. The border is a much more dangerous problem. It’s a problem of national security.”Donald Trump, US President
He also said that the official ports of entry are strong, but there are miles and miles of unprotected areas along the border from where drug and people smugglers enter the United States.
The government is in its 14th day of a partial government shutdown over Trump’s insistence for funding of his proposed wall at the US-Mexico border.
The shutdown has left nearly 8,00,000 federal employees working without pay.
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