As some fear the partial government shutdown could stretch on through much of January, President Trump is issuing a far more dire projection.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters Friday that in a meeting with Democrats, Trump said he's willing to leave the government in shutdown mode for "months or even years," The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey reports. This would conceivably leave nearly 800,000 federal workers without pay going into the 2020 election cycle — including, as CBS News' Kathryn Watson points out, members of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Lawmakers have clashed over funding for border security, leading to the shutdown.
Friday's meeting, it appears, brought little progress, as Schumer says Democrats again pleaded with Trump to re-open the government but he resisted. Trump continues to demand $5 billion in border wall funding, an idea that is a nonstarter with Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that the Democrats' meeting with Trump was "lengthy" and "sometimes contentious," per CNN's Manu Raju. Trump, on the other hand, called it "very, very productive."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
October 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's consolation prize, government workers during shutdown, and more
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
-
Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia JamesSpeed Read New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted as Trump’s Justice Department pursues charges against his political opponents
-
Judge blocks Trump’s Guard deployment in ChicagoSpeed Read The president is temporarily blocked from federalizing the Illinois National Guard or deploying any Guard units in the state
-
Trump urges jail for Illinois, Chicago leadersSpeed Read The Texas National Guard begin operations in the Chicago area
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-offSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to ChicagoSpeed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in OregonSpeed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
