Trump says ready for prolonged government shutdown

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) – U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Friday to keep the government shut down for months or possibly years unless he gets the $5 billion he is seeking for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Addressing reporters at the White House, the president said he confirmed during a meeting with top congressional Democrats that he is "prepared" for a drawn-out battle, even as roughly 800,000 federal employees are being forced to either work without pay or be involuntarily furloughed.

"I don't think it will. But I am prepared, and I think I can speak for Republicans" in Congress, Trump said. "I hope it doesn't go on even beyond a few more days. It really could open very quickly."

Friday's meeting between Congressional Democrats and Trump ended with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying Trump "resisted" overtures to end the ongoing impasse.

The partial shutdown is set to begin its third week Saturday.

A team of Congressional staffers and White House officials are set to begin meeting over the weekend to find a way out of the deadlock, but the sides, for now, remain intransigent.

The new Democratically controlled House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday night that would fund agencies currently forced to shutter their doors, but the White House has threatened to veto the measure because of its lack of funding for the wall, and its fate in the Republican-controlled Senate is all but assuredly doomed.

At least two Republicans in the chamber have signaled they would vote for the funding measure, including Senator Susan Collins. But Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he would not allow any bill on the Senate floor without the president's endorsement, calling the House measure "a time-wasting act of political posturing".

Trump said he has been considering declaring a national emergency to have the wall built in a bid to circumvent congressional approval.

"I can do it if I want," Trump said. "I haven't done it. I may do it, but we can call a national emergency and build it very quickly, and that's another way of doing it."

"If we can do it through a negotiated process, we're giving that a shot," he added.

Trump promised the barrier on the campaign trail in 2016, vowing at the time to have Mexico pay for its construction. But amid unwavering opposition from the Mexican government, Trump appears to have deferred the cost to the U.S. taxpayer, at least for the immediate future.

Trump said he plans to use alleged increased revenues from Mexico following a yet-to-be ratified trade deal to fulfill his original pledge. But he did not provide any figures to back up his claim.