Government shutdown: Trump says 'no substitute' for wall on Mexico border but backs away from declaring national emergency

President says he will 'never ever back down' in fight over border security

Donald Trump says workers not getting paid because of government shutdown will have to 'make adjustments'

Donald Trump has dismissed a proposal from a key ally in Congress that would end the longest US government shutdown in American history, declaring that he would "never ever back down" over border security..

Twenty-four days into the partial shut down, Mr Trump rejected the idea from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. The Senator had indicated he discussed the option of reopening the government temporarily as negotiations continue with Democrats over their refusal to sanction a demand from the president for $5.7bn to build a wall on the US-Mexico borer.

That idea had seen some support from Democrats, but the president declined to bite.

“I’m not interested,” Mr Trump said on Monday as he made his way to New Orleans, where he gave a speech to a farming convention. “I want it solved. I don’t want to just delay it. I want to get it solved”.

The comment came just hours after the president tweeted that he had been “waiting all weekend” to negotiate with congressional Democrats to reopen the government and that he believed an end could be negotiated in 15 minutes.

Having dismissed that option from Mr Graham while leaving the White House, Mr Trump used his speech in New Orleans to say there was “no substitute” for a physical barrier along the southern border with Mexico.

He also accused Democrats of playing politics in refusing to negotiate on the issue.

“They think if they stop me, it’ll be good for 2020,” Mr Trump said of Democrats in Congress. “We need that barrier. … If you don’t have that barrier there, there is not a thing you can do.”

However, with the shutdown having left 800,000 federal workers without pay, there are signs that Mr Trump is beginning to lose the battle for public opinion.

A Quinnipiac University poll released on Monday found that 63 per cent of voters agree with the long-standing Democrat proposal to reopen parts of the government that do not involve border security, with 30 per cent opposed.

The same poll found 63 per cent of respondents also oppose using the shutdown to force wall funding, with 32 per cent supporting Mr Trump's stance.

The poll also found that 56 percent of American voters blame Mr Trump and Republicans in Congress for the partial shutdown.

To see how the day unfolded follow our liveblog below

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[14 January 2019 19:41 · Clark Mindock]

Trump says the USMCA is helping out the NFL

The president has begun bragging about the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), the trade deal he has negotiated to replace Nafta.

Mr Trump recognized that the deal still needs to be approved by Congress, but said that he helped the NFL out already with its negotiations with Canada. Mr Trump has sparred with the NFL over protests that saw players kneeling during the US national anthem.

Those fights aside, Mr Trump called the NFL "great American company", and said that he solved a problem they had with Canada quickly: "In one minute we solved a problem they had been dealing with for many years", Mr Trump said.

"They were fighting for years," he said.

[14 January 2019 19:46 · Clark Mindock]

Trump says he is working for farmers, to big applause

The president portrayed himself as the best ally for farmers, and was greeted by cheers.

"Now you have a government that is loyal to you, finally, in return," Mr Trump said, after having claimed that his trade negotiations will end up helping farmers even though many reports have indicated many are feeling a pinch from heightened tariffs.

"We are fighting for the American farmer, and we are fighting for the American dream, and for the products made and grown with pride right here in the USA. That's what we're fighting for. We are defending a cherished legacy, and we are preserving a beautiful way of life [passed down from generation to generation]", he said.

[14 January 2019 19:49 · Clark Mindock]

Trump rejects proposal to temporarily open government floated by Graham

The president rejected the idea from South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham to temporarily reopen the federal government in order to pursue a deal, saying that he wants to find a solution to border security now and stop kicking the can down the road.

He said as much during his flight to New Orleans, where he told reporters that he didn't like Mr Graham's proposal much.

“I’m not interested", Mr Trump said. “I want to get it solved. I don’t want to just delay it. I want to get it solved".

[14 January 2019 19:53 · Clark Mindock]

Trump finishes up speech in New Orleans

The president ended his speech to farmers in New Orleans with a pledge to defend farmers that sounded quite a bit like he was attending the conference as a political candidate instead of a the president.

He walked off to The Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want", which he often played at his political rallies in 2016.

[14 January 2019 20:09 · Sarah Harvard]

The Transportation Security Administration dismissed suggestions that the partial government shutdown might be a cause of a firearm-related security lapse earlier this month.

On January 3, a traveler boarded and flew a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to Tokyo Narita International Airport with a firearm in his carry-on luggage.

"TSA has determined standard procedures were not followed and a passenger did in fact pass through a standard screening TSA checkpoint with a firearm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on the morning of January 3," the agency said in a statement.

The passenger reportedly forgot the firearm was in their carry-on luggage, the TSA said. 

[14 January 2019 20:25 · Sarah Harvard]

A new Quinnipiac University National Poll released on Monday discovered that 63 per cent of American voters support the Democratic Party's proposal to reopen parts of the government that does not involve border security while negotiating funding for President Donald Trump's notorious wall. 

According to the poll, every gender, education, age, and racial group except for Republicans support the Democratic proposal.

In addition, 63 per cent oppose shutting down the government to force funding for the borer wall. 32 per cent support it. Among Republicans, 67 per cent support the partial government shutdown.

The majority of Americans oppose a wall on the US-Mexico border with 55 per cent.

In regards to questions about the wall, the Qpoll found that among American voters:

"59 - 40 percent that it is not a good use of taxpayer dollars;

55 - 43 percent that the wall would not make the U.S. safer;

59 - 40 percent that the wall is not necessary to protect the border;

52 percent say the wall is against American values as 41 percent say the wall is consistent with American values.

There is a security crisis along the Mexican border, American voters say 54 - 43 percent, and voters say 68 - 26 percent there is a humanitarian crisis." 

[14 January 2019 20:35 · Sarah Harvard]

Canadian air traffic controllers ordered pizza delivery for Federal Aviation Administration employees who are still working without pay as the partial government shutdown reaches its 24-day mark.

[14 January 2019 20:45 · Sarah Harvard]

Kevin Hassett, White House economic adviser, made controversial statements when he told PBS "NewsHour" that furloughed federal workers are "better off" with the partial government shutdown since they did not have to use their vacation days.

[14 January 2019 21:00 · Sarah Harvard]

Per Politico's Eric Geller: "DOJ had to cancel a training session for federal prosecutors about darknet markets because of the shutdown."

[14 January 2019 21:15 · Sarah Harvard]

The government shutdown has forced several domestic violence shelters across the country into cutting off their services, rationing off their food and preparing for layoffs.

Domestic violence shelters, like the Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Centre, almost solely depend on federal funds to remain open. But with the government closed for business, the shelters can't access federal payments that they need to stay afloat.