As Trump renews border wall demands, U.S. government shutdown looms

By Richard Cowan

 

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as artificial snow falls during his address to supporters at a Make America Great Again rally in Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S., November 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque T

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's renewed demand for U.S. taxpayer funding of his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall was threatening again on Tuesday to bring on a budget standoff and a partial government shutdown, leaving Congress just 11 days to act.

 

With time running short, Trump and Republican leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives huddled at the White House.

Representative Steve Scalise, who attended the meeting, later told Fox News: "It's all about border security and $5 billion is the number" for the wall.

 

That figure is significantly higher than even Republicans in the Senate have sought and Democrats have rejected.

 

An aide to House Speaker Paul Ryan would not comment on the $5 billion figure, only saying there was discussion of the need for "responsible funding for border security."

 

By Dec. 7, Congress must pass a spending bill, estimated at $312 billion, to keep some government agencies funded, including the Department of Homeland Security, which polices the border and immigration.

 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with the incoming foreign minister of Mexico on Sunday to discuss immigration, a top White House official said.

 

"They will have a full conversation about all the issues in connection with the border," White House national security adviser John Bolton told reporters.

 

Washington's focus on the Mexican border coincides with televised images of U.S. border police lobbing tear gas canisters over a border fence in Southern California on Sunday into crowds of asylum seekers, mostly from Central America.

 

Even with the divisive Nov. 6 congressional elections over, Trump has continued to rail against thousands of migrants in a caravan travelling from violence-ridden Central American countries to seek asylum in the United States.

 

The latest border incident was unlikely to shift the partisan split in Congress over Trump's proposed, $23 billion wall, with many Republicans in favour and most Democrats against, Senator Marco Rubio told reporters.

 

"People here are pretty dug in," said Rubio, a Republican.

 

Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who like Rubio is a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, predicted a border security deal would be struck in coming days.

 

But a House Democratic aide familiar with the negotiations said in a telephone interview that, at least for now, talks over Homeland Security's budget were "a total mess."

 

The $5 billion House Republicans tout for Trump's wall, compares with $1.6 billion Senate Republicans have sought for this fiscal year. The Trump administration would like the entire $23 billion (18.1 billion pounds) up front, fearing that a House run by Democrats next year would never fully fund the long-term costs.

 

Rubio said more "physical structures" are needed to reinforce the border. But, he said, "The ultimate border security is to help address ... the causes of people leaving Guatemala and Honduras" and fleeing to the United States.

 

Under Republican control of the Senate and House in recent years, U.S. spending on combating violence and promoting the economies of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras has declined. Meanwhile, despite Trump's efforts to make immigration more difficult, the number of illegal crossings has risen.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, apprehensions on the southwest border of unaccompanied children rose 21 percent from the previous year to 50,000, while family apprehensions were up 42 percent to more than 107,000.

 

As Trump gears up for his 2020 re-election bid, he is expected to hammer on his 2016 campaign pledge to stop illegal immigration, raising fears that he might not back down, as he has before, from a threat to close the government.

 

"Life is hard, but it's harder when you're stupid. A government shutdown would be stupid," said Republican Senator John Kennedy, also an Appropriations Committee member. "But if we can't agree on the budget, we can't agree on the budget," he added.

 

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Grant McCool)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-28

24 minutes ago, webfact said:

"Life is hard, but it's harder when you're stupid. A government shutdown would be stupid," said Republican Senator John Kennedy, also an Appropriations Committee member. "But if we can't agree on the budget, we can't agree on the budget," he added

I like this really says it all.

Perhaps Trump could be put to work making bricks for his wall while in a government run protected and secure facility.

Sooo let me see deficit blown sky high no money for health care no money for infrastructure but must shut down government to fix problem trump created(illegals at lowest #s since the 70s)

Given his rapidly declining job approval numbers maybe trump should reconsider some of his norm-busting actions?

 

Just kidding.

 

Presidential Approval Ratings -- Donald Trump

 

https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx

 

12 point swing in the last week. Keep digging.

 

 

So Trump promised his base the wall.  But he also promised that Mexico would pay for it.  So what the freak you lying sack of feces??? 

Hey Tough- Guy

...Mexico still isn't paying for your stupid @$$ wall?

 

you would think it would be better to just introduce and a fair budget to maintain and upgrade the southern boarder rather than go through all this nonsense every 6 months.  it must be costing America a fair bit of money having such a porous boarder.

If congress includes any money for Trump's wall in the budget, they should also include a resolution that Trump can not fire Mueller and that Mueller reports directly to Eisenstein and Whitaker recuses himself from any of Mueller's investigation.  If those are the circumstances, would Trump really demand money for the wall?

So, Mexico will be paying later?

1 hour ago, milwaukeeboy said:

The fact that so many NPC zombies hate President Trump so much that they can't contain themselves gives me a great deal of joy every day.

Please keep it up.

I think it’s hilarious every time Trump speaks.  Embarrassing, but hilarious 

9 minutes ago, Redline said:

I think it’s hilarious every time Trump speaks.  Embarrassing, but hilarious 

Not hilarious, pathetic!

These are some of Trump's thoughts on the visa lottery and chain immigration. I mean, how can you take a man seriously who spews such demonstrable lies and nonsense? And how can you take people seriously who support such a lying buffoon?

 

 

8 hours ago, guest879 said:

you would think it would be better to just introduce and a fair budget to maintain and upgrade the southern boarder rather than go through all this nonsense every 6 months.  it must be costing America a fair bit of money having such a porous boarder.

Do you understand that Trump wants to build a 2000 mile long wall? Do you know that the USA actually comes out ahead economically on illegal immigrants? Do you know that the number of illegal immigrants living in the USA has actually declined over the past 10 years?

3 hours ago, rudi49jr said:

These are some of Trump's thoughts on the visa lottery and chain immigration. I mean, how can you take a man seriously who spews such demonstrable lies and nonsense? And how can you take people seriously who support such a lying buffoon?

 

 

Maybe he just doesn't like his parents-in-law?

Off-topic posts and replies removed.   The topic is about a possible gov't shutdown and the border wall.   Superfluous comments about politicians or members personality traits are off-topic.

 

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed, a reply was removed as well.