President Donald Trump has announced that that his administration and Democrats have reached a short-term plan that will reopen the government for three weeks so that border security negotiations may continue without the devastating effects of the partial government shutdown.
The new bill will open the government through Feb. 15 and allow Federal employees to get paid as soon as possible. The Senate passed a resolution to reopen the government through that date.
The announcement comes on the 35th day of the longest shutdown in United States history and is a clear cave by Trump. The shutdown was due to Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion in funds for his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border ? a project Democratic lawmakers say are not ready to sign on.
Trump also said he is prepared to shut down the government again or issue a national emergency declaration in order to get funding if a the wall is not funded after negotiations.
Throughout the shutdown, Trump’s reputation has suffered across parties as airports have grappled with severe delays and federal workers have gone without paychecks, putting many at risk of losing their homes, defaulting on loans and missing other crucial payments.
Trump’s statement comes a day after the Senate failed to pass his proposal to reopen the government with border wall funding in exchange for temporary legal protection for some undocumented immigrants.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) when asked about the deal said:
“We’re going in that direction but we’re not to that place,” said Pelosi. “I’m hopeful.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) who spoke on the Senate floor shortly after Trump’s announcement, congratulating lawmakers on the development.
“The solution to this impasse was to separate funding the government from our disagreements over border security,” Schumer said, adding that “we can never hold American workers hostage again.”