The United States seems to escalate its bid to the wall as US President Donald Trump on Tuesday addressed the nation from the Oval office seeking public support, he further balmed Democrats for a partial government shutdown that is now in its third week.
Trump in his address, described the situation at the border as a ‘growing humanitarian and security crisis,’as he urged Congress to give him the $5.7 billion (INR 3,99,28,78,50,000) for the wall.
“This is a humanitarian crisis – a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul,” Trump said. He added that the federal government “remains shut down for one reason and one reason only: because Democrats will not fund border security,” he said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., delivered a brief joint response that was carried live by all the major television networks.
ALDO READ: ‘Ready to keep shutdown going for months,’ says Donald Trump
Democrats have steadfastly resisted Trump’s demand for wall funding, an impasse that has resulted in the shuttering of agencies that account for about a quarter of the federal workforce.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2019
Meanwhile, the White House announced that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will attend Senate Republicans’ weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
Pelosi said Tuesday that she was not aware of the White House’s invitation, but “whenever there is a meeting, I’ll go.”
“We have a pretty good idea of what our options are. But let’s hope we can come together, get this done and open up government. That’s our goal,” she said.