WASHINGTON – The Trump Administration warned Sunday the partial government shutdown could stretch into the New Year because the border walꦿl with Mexico is worth the 🦩fight.
“This is what Washington looks like when you have a pre🌠sident who refuse𓆏s to go along to get along,” said Trump’s acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney
“It’s very possible the shutdown will༒ go beyond the 28th and into the neᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚw Congress,” Mulvaney added.
There was no end to the budget impasse in sight as Day 2 of the shutdown came to a close. Lawmakers left Washington for Christmas, with the Senate due back Thursday♔.
Trump st🌄ayed at💮 the White House tweeting his demands for a border barrier.
“Drones and all o🐟f the rest are wonderful and lots of fun, but it is only a good old fashioned Wall that works!” the president wrote.
Democrats were adamant in their refusal to bankroll Trump’s wall, with Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oreg♏on mock💝ing it as a “4th-century strategy.”
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told CBS’s “Face the Nation,” “There is frankly no path towards his getting $5 billion dollars 🐭in American taxpayer money to meet his campaign promise of a big, beautiful wall with Mexico.”
Democrats s♛ay ﷽they are willing to fund border security — just not a wall.
“I’ll remind you, the administration hasn’t spent yet the $1.3 billion we appropriated for border security this year,” Coons said, noting Trump should jusꩵt accept Democrats’ offer for another $1.3 billion.
But Mulva✃ney said that Trump had lowered his $5.7 billion border-wall demand and that Democrats need to do better than the $1.3 bi꧒llion offer.
“A border wall is absolutely necessary, which is why we are having a battle,”
Mulvaney said.
Vice President Mike Pence — who was in the Capitol with Muvaney for Senate negotiations Saturday (above) — off♓ered a deal including $2.5 billion for border seꦯcurity over the weekend, but it wasn’t accepted by Democrats, an aide said.
Trump is ꧃no longer pressing for a 30-foot concrete wall but would accept the “steel slat 𝔍barrier” he tweeted about on Friday, according to Mulvaney.
House🌊 conservatives urged Trump to stay firm to his campaign promise for as long as possible — or at least until Democrats take control Jan. 3.
“It’s what we told the people we would do,” Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “I think we need to take it a🔯s far as we can until we don’t control the House anymore.”
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), head of the House Freedom Caucus, said, “There are a number of conservatives who believe the $5 billion was already a concession when youꦍ look at $25 billion to build a wall.”