Trump announces deal to reopen government without $5 billion in border wall funding

The government shutdown is finally poised to come to an end — temporarily, at least.

President Trump on Friday announced a deal to reopen the government for three weeks, during which time Congress can negotiate on immigration and border security issues. Trump since December had pledged he would not reopen the government until Democrats agreed to give him $5.7 billion to fund his proposed wall along the southern border.

But now, he has backed off. The proposal Trump is now supporting would continue spending at its current levels, meaning there will still be money for border security as there was in 2018, but not the $5.7 billion Trump wants for the wall. Congress will now need to vote on the proposal, and it is expected to pass, since congressional leaders reportedly worked on the agreement with Trump.

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Trump had previously shied away from reopening the government without any guarantee that Democrats would agree to border wall funding once he had done so. But his announcement came as the shutdown situation was becoming so dire that flights around the country were being delayed because of a shortage in air traffic controllers. CNN reports the flight issues played a "key role" in Trump's decision Friday. The president had just one day earlier suggested he was sticking to his demands, writing, "We will not cave!"

If the agreement moves forward, three weeks of negotiations will take place. Trump seemed to suggest he expects Democrats to fund his wall, claiming both parties have "finally and fully acknowledged that having barriers or fences or walls will be an important part of the solution." But if a deal isn't reached that is to Trump's liking by Feb. 15, the shutdown could simply resume. Trump also suggested he may declare a national emergency at that point, saying, "I have a very powerful alternative, but I didn't want to use it at this time. Hopefully, it will be unnecessary."