JUST IN: Trump Storms Out Of Talks With Democrats On Border Wall

President Donald Trump on Wednesday stormed out of a meeting
with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck
Schumer over an ongoing partial government shutdown, calling it “a
total waste of time.”

The breakdown in already fraught negotiations over border wall
funding, which have kept nine federal agencies shut down for 19
days and counting, appeared to heighten the possibility that Trump
might declare a national emergency.

“I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open
things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes
a Wall or Steel Barrier? Nancy said, NO,” Trump explained in a
tweet as Pelosi and Schumer described the walk-out to
reporters.

“I said bye-bye, nothing else works!” Trump added.

Schumer, speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, said, “again, we
saw a temper tantrum.” Trump’s behavior was “unbecoming of a
presidency,” Schumer added. Speaking shortly after Schumer, Vice
President Mike Pence disputed the Democrat’s characterization,
stressing that the president handed out unspecified sweets to the
negotiators.

“Well, the president walked into the room and passed out candy.
It’s true,” Pence said. “I don’t recall him ever raising his voice
or slamming his hand.”

Trump’s reference to “30 days” relates to the House
Democratic-passed legislation to fund eight departments through
Sept. 30 and reopen the Department of Homeland Security through
Feb. 8. Democrats say the extra time would allow hundreds of
thousands of federal workers to get paid while lawmakers break an
impasse over the proposed wall.

During a meeting with Senate Republicans earlier Wednesday, a
few senators such as Lisa Murkowski of Alaska urged Trump to fund
the departments other than DHS to alleviate the effects of the
partial shutdown. “The Republicans are totally unified,” Trump said
after the meeting.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reinforced Trump’s claim,
saying “we’re all behind the president.” Senate Republicans’
support for Trump’s border wall funding increases the likelihood of
a long shutdown, as Democrats have unequivocally said they will not
approve the money.

Trump is demanding $5.7 billion toward funding a barrier along
the U.S.-Mexico border. He previously said parts of the government
could stay closed for “months or even years” if he does not see his
demands met.

When asked Wednesday how long the departments would stay closed
amid the impasse, he answered: “Whatever it takes.”

In recent days, Trump has floated the possibility that he could
circumvent the deadlocked negotiations by declarig a national
emergency as a means to divert funds toward a border wall.

“We might work a deal and if we don’t I may go that route,”
Trump said in the Oval Office Wednesday.

The president also said that the “threshold” to take that action
is failure to strike a border security deal with lawmakers.

About 800,000 federal workers will start missing paychecks
Friday without a deal to reopen the nine departments. Employees
such as Transportation Security Administration screeners and border
security agents have worked without the guarantee of pay since the
shutdown started.

Trump has repeatedly claimed many federal workers support the
shutdown over the border wall — even though many government
employees have worried about their ability to make ends meet.

“So many of those people are saying, ‘It’s so hard for me, it’s
very hard for my family, but Mr. President, you’re doing the right
thing,’” he said Wednesday.

Some had expected Trump to invoke his emergency powers during
his first-ever prime-time Oval Office address Tuesday night, in
which the president described graphic details of murders allegedly
committed by illegal immigrants and repeatedly referred to the
border situation as a “crisis.”

The president has said since Friday that he is considering an
emergency declaration, a power that even some of his fellow
Republicans have discouraged him from using unless as a last
resort.

Culled from cnbc.com