With the funding deadline approaching, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) couldn't be more confident that the government will remain open.
Pelosi spoke with Politico Thursday and stated unequivocally, "There will not be another shutdown. No, it's not going to happen." She went on to refer to this as a "too-hot-to-handle issue" and suggested that Republicans, especially President Trump, will not be prepared to let a second shutdown occur.
The House speaker says that a House-Senate panel will be able to strike a deal by the end of next week that will keep the government open, but that Democrats will definitely not agree to any additional money to fund Trump's border wall. Trump re-opened the government last month apparently under the belief that Democrats would be open to wall funding, saying they had "finally and fully acknowledged that having barriers or fences or walls will be an important part of the solution."
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At the time, Trump suggested that if Democrats don't agree to fund the wall, he might declare a national emergency. "I have a very powerful alternative, but I didn't want to use it at this time," he said. "Hopefully, it will be unnecessary." Vice President Mike Pence recently refused to say whether another shutdown could happen if border wall money isn't secured. "I think our hope is that there's not [another shutdown] but I can't make that guarantee," Pence said. The deadline to reach a new agreement is Feb. 15, so the clock is ticking.
