Pelosi: No Funding for Trump's Wall in Border Security Negotiations

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, stated on Thursday that there will be no budget allocated for Donald Trump's border wall in bipartisan negotiations regarding border security funding. According to Reuters, Pelosi told reporters, "There will be no money for the border wall in this bill." She added that if Republicans have proposals regarding additional border entries or technical methods, they will be considered in these negotiations. The Speaker emphasized, "The President cannot say that the opinion and decision of Congress do not matter. He wants Congress to be irrelevant in determining the needs of the American people." The goal of the bipartisan committee negotiations is to reach some agreement on the $5.7 billion budget that President Trump requested for the construction of the border wall in the southern United States. Last week, Donald Trump and Congress agreed to end a partial government shutdown that lasted a record 35 days, and a committee was tasked with reviewing this issue. The committee's negotiations are expected to conclude before February 15, which is the deadline set in that agreement. Pelosi also rejected Trump's proposal to extend the residency permit for three years for children of immigrants whose citizenship status is uncertain in exchange for the construction of the wall. She stated, "Extending this legal residency is something the President first cancels and then says he will temporarily give it to you in exchange for a permanent wall." She added that the committee's negotiations should reach a conclusion by next Friday. On Thursday, Donald Trump tweeted that negotiations with the Democrats regarding the border wall budget seem to be a "waste of time" and that he does not expect help from Democrats for building the wall. Although Trump issued an order to reopen government offices last week in agreement with the Democrats to negotiate this issue, he appears to be pessimistic about reaching an agreement. He also warned that if necessary, he would personally order funding for the border wall by declaring a national emergency. In another part of his tweet on Thursday, he wrote, "Despite all the evidence and the caravans of migrants on the way, the Democrats are unwilling to give money for the wall that we all really need." He added, "But I am watching over you. The construction of the wall has begun, and I do not expect much help."