Deal Reached to Temporarily Reopen Federal Government

During remarks on Jan. 25 in the White House Rose Garden, President Donald Trump announced a deal had been reached to temporarily reopen the federal government but reiterated the need for a security wall or barrier at the U.S.-Mexico border in order to prevent undocumented immigrants from entering the U.S. The short-term budget agreement doesn’t include new funding for the barrier.

“We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier,” Trump said. “If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on Feb. 15 again or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the constitution of the United States to address the emergency. We will have great security.”

His remarks on Jan. 25 followed a 35-day government shutdown resulting from a deadlock between the president’s demand for border wall funding and Democrats’ refusal to include such funding in the budget. Pay could resume as early as this weekend for more than 800,000 federal workers who have gone a month without a paycheck.

As he has done previously when speaking about his desire for a wall at the nation’s southern border, Trump said Israel’s use of a wall at the Israel-West Bank border has been successful in helping Israel maintain security by preventing potentially dangerous people from entering the country.

“Israel built a wall that is 99.9-percent successful,” Trump said on Jan. 25. “They keep criminals out.”

Trump said the responsibility for bolstering security at the U.S.-Mexico border was part of his role as commander in chief.

“My highest priority is the defense of our great country,” he said. “We cannot surrender operational control over the nation’s borders to foreign cartels, [drug] traffickers and smugglers,” he said. “We want future Americans to come to our country legally and through a system based on merit.”

A wall is essential not just for U.S. security but also for ensuring the safety of those attempting to come illegally into the U.S., he said.

“Our plan includes desperately needed humanitarian assistance for those being abused by coyotes, smugglers and the dangerous journey north,” he said. “The requests we have put before Congress are vital to ending the humanitarian and security crisis on our border.”

He said that allowing undocumented immigrants to enter the U.S. has had a negative economic impact, including the “tremendous economic and financial burdens of illegal immigration … on the shoulders of low-income Americans.”

The battle over the government shutdown pitted the president against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The fight between the two led Pelosi to bar Trump from delivering the State of the Union address in the House chamber. It’s not known how the temporary budget agreement will affect that situation.

Pelosi held a joint press conference with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) following Trump’s remarks.

“Disagreement over policy should never be a reason to shut down the government,” Pelosi said. “I am sad it has taken this long [but] I am glad we have come to a conclusion today about how to go forward in the next three weeks.”