Trump: ‘Nothing new’ on Day 3 of shutdown
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump met Monday with his Homeland Security secretary and other officials to discuss border security issues as a partial government shutdown over his U.S.-Mexico border wall entered Christmas without a clear resolution in sight.
Though both sides have moved on the money, they aren’t budging on the wall. The White House insisted Trump will reject any deal that does not include money for a wall or fence; Democrats held firm in their opposition to a wall or other physical barrier.
“Nothing new. Nothing new on the shutdown. Nothing new. Except we need border security,” Trump told reporters at the White House as he answered telephone calls from children who want to know when Santa will get to their homes.
In a joint statement, the Democratic leaders of Congress, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, said that as long as Trump keeps listening to the House Freedom Caucus and others on the right flank, there is no easy resolution to the impasse.
“It’s Christmas Eve and President Trump is plunging the country into chaos,” they said, pointing to problems beyond the shutdown, including the plunging stock market and the president’s firing of his defense secretary. “The president wanted the shutdown, but he seems not to know how to get himself out of it.”
The White House presented a counteroffer offer the weekend to Schumer, budget director Mick Mulvaney said Sunday. Mulvaney would only say the offer was between Trump’s $5.7 billion request and $1.3 billion Democrats have offered.
A Democratic aide granted anonymity to discuss the private talks confirmed the White House offered $2.5 billion an initial $2.1 billion plus $400 million Democrats called a “slush fund” for the president’s other immigration priorities.
Mulvaney said he was awaiting a response from Schumer. Schumer’s office said the parties remained “very far apart.”
Trump chimed in from the White House, where he has been cooped up since the shutdown began early Saturday.
“I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal on desperately needed Border Security,” he tweeted. “At some point the Democrats not wanting to make a deal will cost our Country more money than the Border Wall we are all talking about. Crazy!”
Trump put off plans to head to his Florida estate for Christmas. His wife, first lady Melania Trump, returned from Florida to spend the holiday with him.
The president’s border security meeting Monday afternoon included Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other department officials, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.