President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to rule out — at least for now — declaring a national emergency to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, setting aside one of the White House's leading options for ending the 24-day partial government shutdown.
"Now I have the absolute legal right to call it, but I'm not looking to do that,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House.
Trump had previously indicated he was in no rush to declare a national emergency and go around Congress to secure funds for the border wall, which he has long promised. But over the weekend, White House aides and advisers said they were still unsure how he planned to end the government shutdown.
Trump also on Monday shot down an effort by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch ally of the White House, to re-open the government while lawmakers try to reach an immigration compromise. “I did reject it," Trump said.
The president’s Monday comments are the latest indication that there is no end in sight to the shutdown, which is now the longest in U.S. history, running for 24 days. Both sides have dug in, with Trump demanding more than $5 billion for the wall and Democrats insisting that a wall is expensive, unnecessary and “immoral." As of Monday morning, there were no signs of a pending compromise, even after many federal workers missed their first paycheck on Friday.
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04.23.2024