White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks with reporters outside the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, in Washington. (Photo: AP)
President Donald Trump is urging state and local Republican leaders to “stick together” on his border wall demands.
Trump held a conference call with state, local and community leaders Wednesday on the 33rd day of the partial government shutdown. During his remarks, Trump said he would not back down in his push for $5.7 billion for a wall along the US-Mexico border, calling it the “right policy.”
The president also acknowledged there was “pressure” due to the shutdown, but argued it was worse for Democrats. Trump said “I think there’s more pressure on them than there is on us.” Polls show Trump gets most of the blame for the shutdown.
Trump said: “We need this approved. We have to stick together.”
A top White House economist says near-zero growth is possible in the first quarter if the government doesn’t fully reopen before the end of March.
But Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, predicts a “humongous” rebound in the second quarter if the shutdown ends.
Hassett told CNN on Wednesday that “we could end up with a number that’s very, very low” for January to March after the effects of an extended shutdown are factored into what typically is a weak first-quarter economic growth report.
Pressed on whether that could mean no growth, Hassett said the number could be “very close to zero.”
A stalemate between President Donald Trump and Democratic lawmakers over funding a US-Mexico border wall has produced the longest partial government shutdown in US history, now on Day 33.
House Democrats are considering drafting a new proposal to provide President Donald Trump with options for securing the border that don’t involve a wall between the US and Mexico.
No final decisions have been made, according to a senior Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because the aide wasn’t authorized to discuss the lawmakers’ private discussions on the record.
The proposals are likely to be drafted into a sweeping Homeland Security bill.
Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Wednesday that personnel, technology and other options “are the things that would actually improve our border security.”
Already, House Democrats have added $1.5 billion for border security to legislation being voted on this week. The funding would go toward immigration judges, bolstered infrastructure and aid to Central American countries.
