WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democrats prepared Thursday to pass a plan to re-open government without funding President Donald Trump’s promised border wall, as Trump pledged to keep up the fight for his signature promise in a surprise appearance.
Trump strode into the White House briefing room on the 13th day of the partial government shutdown, declaring that “without a wall you cannot have border security.” He then left without taking questions from reporters.
Trump is demanding billions of dollars to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, which the Democrats have refused. The White House has invited congressional leaders back for another meeting Friday, two days after failing to make progress during their first sit-down in weeks.
The new Congress convened with Democrats taking majority control of the House and returning Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi to the speakership. Democrats expect to quickly pass legislation to re-open the government – without funds for the wall.
“There is no amount of persuasion he can use” to get her to fund his wall, Pelosi said in an interview that aired Thursday on NBC’s “Today.” She added: “We can go through the back and forth. No. How many more times can we say no?”