President Trump on Friday began to slightly ease off his threat to declare a national emergency to fund his proposed border wall — well, kind of.
After saying Thursday he is "probably" going to declare a national emergency in order to fund the wall without Congressional approval, Trump said Friday that this is not what he's "looking to do right now," adding that he won't take this route "so fast," The Washington Post reports. He said this would be the "easy way out" but that he wants "Congress to do this," urging the House and the Senate to come back and vote on a bill. So far, the House has passed bills to reopen the government, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he won't allow a Senate vote on any bill Trump wouldn't approve.
Still, Trump was hardly ruling out this move, as he still declared that should Congress not reach a deal, "I may declare a national emergency." When might this happen? It's anyone guess, as Trump only said he'd do it if Congress can't reach a deal "at some point."
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Trump additionally predicted that should he take this step, "I'll be sued," with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals probably ruling against him but the Supreme Court "hopefully" ruling in his favor. The government shutdown, sparked by conflict over funding for the wall, is poised to become the longest in history on Jan. 12, and with Trump apparently not declaring a national emergency in the immediate future, and with members of Congress going home for the weekend absolutely nowhere close to a deal, there's still no end in sight. Watch Trump's comments below. Brendan Morrow
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