Trump Says Government Reopening Process Has Made Little Progress

The President of the United States states that the process of ending the government shutdown and reopening it has made little progress. Trump has reiterated his demand for funding to build a wall at the Mexican border. Donald Trump wrote on his Twitter account on Saturday that the next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 6, 2019, according to U.S. time. Trump warned about the possibility of the government shutdown lasting 'months or even years.' The President emphasized the need for funding the wall at the Mexican border, stating, 'After decades, it is time to finally and forever solve the southern border problem.' He claims, 'Democrats can solve the government shutdown problem in a very short time; all they have to do is approve real border security (including the wall), which everyone except drug traffickers, human traffickers, and criminals strongly desires.' Trump has proposed a plan for securing the U.S.-Mexico border in the budget, which includes the construction of a $5.6 billion wall, a proposal that has faced opposition from Democrats and ultimately led to a partial government shutdown. Trump has described the security situation at the southern border as 'dangerous' and warns of a potential 'severe disaster.' The President believes that 'without the wall, real security at the border cannot be achieved.' On the other hand, Democrats are calling for enhanced surveillance equipment at the borders and reject the idea of building a wall. They have proposed a plan to fund federal agencies and reopen the government, which does not include funding for wall construction. Trump has repeatedly emphasized his demands for building the border wall and warned that the partial government shutdown could last 'months or even years.' The latest round of negotiations between White House officials and members of Congress took place on Saturday. However, Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, described the negotiations as 'constructive.' In the congressional leaders' meeting on Saturday, neither Trump nor Pence attended. A Democratic Party advisor told Reuters that the party has asked the government to allow federal agencies to reopen while negotiations over southern border security continue. According to this official, the government is still insisting on its initial demands. A government shutdown occurs when the federal budget bill or a temporary budget does not pass Congress, or the President refuses to sign such bills for various reasons. As a result, parts of the federal government, except for agencies and organizations providing essential and critical services, such as police, fire services, federal medical services, and similar, are shut down. Since 1976, there have been more than 20 instances where there has been a gap between the deadline and the approval of the budget, although not all of them have resulted in issuing leave for federal employees.