As the partial government shutdown reached a record 22nd day on Saturday, President Trump blamed Democrats and called on them to end it by agreeing to his demand to fund a border wall.
“Democrats should come back to Washington and work to end the Shutdown, while at the same time ending the horrible humanitarian crisis at our Southern Border,” Mr. Trump tweeted. “I am in the White House waiting for you!”
He warned, “We will be out for a long time unless the Democrats come back from their ’vacations’ and get back to work. I am in the White House ready to sign!”
The president also insisted he has a plan to end the shutdown, pushing back on a news report that he has no strategy for resolving the historic impasse.
“I just watched a Fake reporter from the Amazon Washington Post say the White House is ’chaotic, there does not seem to be a strategy for this Shutdown. There is no plan.’ The Fakes always like talking Chaos, there is NONE,” Mr. Trump said. “In fact, there’s almost nobody in the W.H. but me, and I do have a plan on the Shutdown. But to understand that plan you would have to understand the fact that I won the election, and I promised safety and security for the American people. Part of that promise was a Wall at the Southern Border. Elections have consequences!”
The shutdown has now surpassed the longest previous closure of 1995-96. No new talks are scheduled, and about 800,000 federal employees went without paychecks Friday.
Congress approved a measure Friday to give federal workers back pay when the shutdown ends.
The president said Friday he is holding off on declaring a national emergency on the border because he wants Congress to do its job and beef up border security.
Mr. Trump said Democrats “could solve the Shutdown in 15 minutes!”
“Call your Dem Senator or Congresswoman/man. Tell them to get it done! Humanitarian Crisis,” he said.
He asserted that a border wall is needed because “23% of Federal inmates are illegal immigrants. Border arrests are up 240%.”
“In the Great State of Texas, between 2011 & 2018, there were a total of 292,000 crimes by illegal aliens, 539 murders, 32,000 assaults, 3,426 sexual assaults and 3000 weapons charges. Democrats come back!” the president said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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