On Friday, in a news conference in The Rose Garden, President Trump announced a plan to temporarily end the partial government shutdown without funding for a border wall. The shutdown will end temporarily for three weeks with a deadline of February 15th. If an agreement is not reached with both Houses of Congress by then, the shutdown will resume.
The partial government shutdown has now gone on for 35 days.
President Donald Trump has said he will not sign any bill that does not contain the $5.7 billion to fund a wall along the U.S southern border. Congressional Democrats have been unwilling to approve any bill that would fund a border wall thus far.
Roughly 800,000 federal workers’ pay has been frozen until the end of the shutdown. These workers include air traffic controllers, TSA agents, and border patrol agents.
On Thursday, the Senate voted down two bills – one from each political party – that would end the shutdown.
This temporary funding measure would include back pay for furloughed workers. The measure would not include funding for the president’s border wall, which Trump said he hoped would be included in any long-term funding plan.
Trump said in the press conference that he had an “alternative” to a deal, but “had decided not to use it at this time,” making reference to an emergency order he had considered declaring if an agreement was not reached.
“Over the next 21 days,” Trump said, “I expect Democrats and Republicans to act in good faith…If we make a fair deal, the American people will be proud of our government for proving that we can put country above party.”
He said that the wall “should not be controversial.”
Trump told reporters that the “walls we are building are not medieval walls. They are smart walls” that are “operationally effective” and equipped with technology. He added that he never proposed or wanted a concrete wall “from sea to shining sea” because natural barriers were already in place. The steel wall, he said, would be in “specific, high risk locations” identified by Customs and Border Protection.
“Over the next 21 days,” Trump said, “I expect Democrats and Republicans to act in good faith…If we make a fair deal, the American people will be proud of our government, for proving that we can put country above party.”
He said that the wall “should not be controversial.”
It should be noted that this plan requires Congressional approval to go into effect.