Trump is exploring 'creative ways' to fund the wall without Congress

Just because President Trump didn't declare a national emergency during his address Tuesday doesn't mean that he's not still considering it, along with some other extreme options.

In fact, a source close to Trump told Axios that the president declaring a national emergency to get his border wall funded without congressional approval "remains the most likely ultimate option." Trump said last week he's open to this after ABC News reported that the administration was considering such a move. "Absolutely we can call a national emergency because of the security of our country," Trump said. "Absolutely." White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also said Wednesday that a national emergency declaration is "certainly still on the table," per CBS News' Mark Knoller.

This controversial option would involve Trump redirecting government resources and getting the wall funded without approval from Congress. Axios reports that the White House Office of Management and Budget is "exploring" a variety of "creative ways" to get the wall funded without Congress, including using money from the Pentagon.

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The legality of any of these steps would almost certainly be challenged, and Axios notes that conservatives around Trump "don't like what they view as an abuse of this authority." In Trump's Oval Office address, he claimed there is "a growing humanitarian and security crisis" at the border, attempting to put pressure on Democrats to agree to fund his wall, a showdown over which sparked the ongoing government shutdown. He said last week that although there may be other options to secure funding, he's giving negotiating with Congress "a shot."