Adapted from a story by The Washington Post’s Erica Werner, Mike DeBonis and John Wagner
The move is a major win for Democrats in the protracted standoff.
If a “fair deal” does not emerge by Feb. 15, Trump said, there could be another government shutdown or he could declare a national emergency, a move that could allow him to direct the military to build the wall without congressional consent. Such an action would likely face an immediate legal challenge.
“No border security plan can never work without a physical barrier. It just doesn’t happen,” Trump said in his remarks, during which he dwelled on his arguments for making good on his marquee campaign promise of a wall at the Mexican border.
Since the Dec. 22 start of the partial shutdown, Trump had insisted that Democrats must relent to his demand for wall funding before he would allow the government to reopen. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had insisted on no negotiations until the shutdown ended.
Trump said he was asking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to put legislation on the floor immediately to implement the deal.
In his remarks, Trump called federal workers “incredible patriots.” As the shutdown stretched into its 35th day Friday, about 800,000 government workers missed a second paycheck.
Trump’s announcement came as major delays at airports around the country produced a heightened sense of urgency.
The impetus to reach a solution had clearly increased among lawmakers of both parties in recent days, as the mushrooming effects of the shutdown have become more apparent.
The shutdown was also creating a strain on the Internal Revenue Service. At least 14,000 unpaid workers in the IRS division that includes tax processing and call centers did not show up for work this week despite orders to do so, according to two House aides.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said earlier Friday that House Democrats were holding off on plans to unveil a border-security proposal expected to match or exceed the $5.7 billion Trump has demanded for a southern border wall — but one that focuses on other initiatives and does not direct funding for the wall Trump is seeking.
Pelosi said, “We want to see what’s happening on the Senate side.”
She later went on Twitter, writing that the “#TrumpShutdown has already pushed hundreds of thousands of Americans to the breaking point. Now it’s pushing our airspace to the breaking point too.”
A Washington Post-ABC poll released shortly before Trump spoke suggested the protracted shutdown was taking a toll on his popularity.
The poll found that public disapproval of the president had swollen five points to 58 percent over three months, as a majority of Americans continued to hold him and congressional Republicans most responsible for the shutdown.
Some lawmakers expressed frustration at the notion of a short-term solution even before Trump spoke.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said he would prefer to see a broader deal that includes “a permanent plan” on how to deal with young undocumented immigrants known as “dreamers” and some other immigration issues.
Lori Aratani, Josh Dawsey, Seung Min Kim, Sean Sullivan and Elise Viebeck contributed to this story.
