黑料社

WASHINGTON 鈥� With no weekend breakthrough to end a prolonged partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump is standing firm in his border wall funding demands and newly empowered House Democrats are planning to step up pressure on Trump and Republican lawmakers to reopen the government.

Trump showed no signs of budging on his demand for more than $5 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, though on Sunday he did offer to build it with steel rather than concrete, a concession Democrats panned.

With the shutdown lurching into a third week, many Republicans watched nervously from the sidelines as hundreds of thousands of federal workers went without pay and government disruptions hit the lives of ordinary Americans.

White House officials affirmed Trump鈥檚 funding request in a letter to Capitol Hill after a meeting Sunday with senior congressional aides led by Vice President Mike Pence at the White House complex yielded little progress. The letter from Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Russell Vought sought funding for a 鈥渟teel barrier on the Southwest border.鈥�

The White House said the letter, as well as details provided during the meeting, sought to answer Democrats鈥� questions about the funding request. Democrats, though, said the administration still failed to provide a full budget of how it would spend the billions requested for the wall rom Congress. Trump campaigned on a promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, but Mexico has declined refused.

The letter includes a request for $800 million for 鈥渦rgent humanitarian needs,鈥� a reflection of the growing anxiety over migrants traveling to the border 鈥� which the White House said Democrats raised in the meetings. And it repeats some existing funding requests for detention beds and security officers, which have already been panned by Congress and would likely find resistance among House Democrats.

Trump sought to frame a steel barrier as progress, saying Democrats 鈥渄on鈥檛 like concrete, so we鈥檒l give them steel.鈥� The president has already suggested his definition of the wall is flexible, but Democrats have made clear they see a wall as immoral and ineffective and prefer other types of border security funded at already agreed upon levels.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi intends to begin passing individual bills to reopen agencies in the coming days, starting with the Treasury Department to ensure people receive their tax refunds. That effort is designed to squeeze Senate Republicans, some of whom are growing increasingly anxious about the extended shutdown.

Among the Republicans expressing concerns was Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should take up bills from the Democratic-led House.

鈥淟et鈥檚 get those reopened while the negotiations continue,鈥� Collins said on NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press.鈥�

Adding to concerns, federal workers might miss this week鈥檚 paychecks. Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said on NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press鈥� that if the shutdown continues into Tuesday, 鈥渢hen payroll will not go out as originally planned on Friday night.鈥�

Trump reaffirmed that he would consider declaring a national emergency to circumvent Congress and spend money as he saw fit. Such a move would seem certain to draw legal challenges.

Incoming House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., said on ABC鈥檚 鈥淭his Week鈥� that the executive power has been used to build military facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan but would likely be 鈥渨ide open鈥� to a court challenge for a border wall. Speaking on CNN鈥檚 鈥淪tate of the Union,鈥� Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff called the idea a 鈥渘onstarter.鈥�

Trump also asserted that he could relate to the plight of the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who aren鈥檛 getting paid, though he acknowledged they will have to 鈥渕ake adjustments鈥� to deal with the shutdown shortfall. /atm