Donald Trump and top congressional leaders failed to resolve a partial government shutdown that has stretched well into a second week as the president refused to back off from his demands for billions of dollars for a long-promised wall along the southern US border with Mexico.

Democratic and Republican leaders from both chambers were invited to the the White House’s Situation Room, the inner sanctum for classified meetings, on Wednesday for a “border security briefing”. During the meeting Trump asked Department of Homeland Security officials to “make a plea” for his wall.

At a cabinet meeting prior to the briefing, Trump warned that parts of the government would could remain closed for a “a long time” without a deal.

“We’re asking the President to open up government,” Nancy Pelosi, who is expected to assume the speakership of the House of Representatives on Thursday, said after the briefing with the president. “We are giving him a Republican path to do that. Why would he not do it?”

The shutdown was triggered by Trump’s demand that Congress allocate more than $5bn in taxpayer money to build a wall along the 2,000-mile border between the US and Mexico – a concession Democrats refuse to make.

The shutdown, which entered its 12th day on Wednesday, has affected nearly 800,000 federal workers. The incoming House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, said Trump invited leaders back to the White House on Friday.

Pelosi said the Democrats will still vote on Thursday, as Congress starts its new session with the Democratic party in the majority in the House after victories in the midterm elections last November. Democrats intend to introduce a pair of funding bills that would end the shutdown, but without money for a border wall. They bills would allocate $1.3bn for border security measures, such as increased surveillance and fencing.

The White House has called such a legislative package a “non-starter”.

The Republican-controlled Senate passed legislation last month that would have funded the government through 8 February without money for a border wall. But Republican leaders in the House refused to hold a vote on the measure.

“Our question to the president and to the Republicans is why don’t you accept what you have already done [in order] to open up government?” Pelosi said.

On Capitol Hill after the briefing on Wednesday, Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, told reporters that it could take “weeks” to break the stalemate and that Wednesday’s meeting did not produce “any particular progress”.

“We are hopeful that somehow in the coming days or weeks we will be able to reach an agreement,” he added.

The White House visit by Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer was their first since their televised showdown with Trump in the Oval Office last month.

Schumer said he implored Trump to reopen the government while they debated their differences over the border wall.

“We asked him to give us one good reason – I asked him directly,” Schumer said. “He could not give a good answer.”

He added: “To use the shutdown as hostage – which they had no argument against – is wrong.”

Trump made his case for the wall during extensive comments to the press in which he made several false claims and mischaracterizations. At the start of his cabinet meeting, Trump said the border was “like a sieve” and insisted the US needed a “physical barrier” to deter illegal border crossers. </s> Likely next House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiUS conservative leader: China is more 'fragile than we realize' Ten notable Democrats who do not favor impeachment Majority fear mass shooting in their community: poll MORE (D-Calif.) reaffirmed that Democrats will not give in to President Trump Donald John TrumpTrump awards Medal of Valor, civilian honors to responders in Dayton and El Paso shootings Texas Democrats unveil 'path to victory' plan for 2020 The Hill's 12:30 Report: Congress returns with gun violence, funding atop agenda MORE’s demand for $5 billion for a border wall as part of any legislation to end a partial government shutdown.

“Nothing for the wall,” she said in an interview for NBC’s “Today” show set to air Thursday morning.

"Are you willing to come up and give him some of this money for the wall?" -@SavannahGuthrie

"No." -@NancyPelosi

"Because apparently that's the sticking point." -Guthrie

"No, no. Nothing for the wall." -Pelosi



Full exclusive interview tomorrow on TODAY pic.twitter.com/6zHKXJjPbb — TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 2, 2019

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Democrats, who will officially take the House majority on Thursday, have repeatedly said they will not include any funding for a border wall as part of a spending bill to end the shutdown, which entered its 12th day Wednesday.

Pelosi and other congressional leaders huddled with the president at the White House Wednesday for an ultimately fruitless negotiation to try to bridge the differences between the two ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

However, Trump has shown no signs of letting up on his desire to attain funding for his signature campaign promise, saying at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, “The United States needs a physical barrier. It needs a wall,” adding that parts of the government will remain closed for “as long as it takes.”

Democrats plan to vote on legislation Thursday that would end the shutdown, but without border wall money.

“We are asking the president to open up the government,” Pelosi said outside the White House following Wednesday’s meeting. “We are giving him a Republican path to do that. Why would he not do it?”

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has already said the bill is a “non-starter,” and Trump invited congressional leaders to return to the White House on Friday to continue negotiations.

The White House last week proposed roughly $2.1 billion in wall funding plus hundreds of millions more for general border security, but Democratic leaders did not respond to the proposal. However, Trump said Wednesday he would reject that amount regardless of what Democrats decide, sticking to his demand for $5 billion.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMajority fear mass shooting in their community: poll Top Democrats press Trump on background checks legislation The Hill's Morning Report - Congress returns: What to expect MORE (R-Ky.) has said he would not bring any spending bill to the floor that Trump himself has not publicly endorsed. Congressional Republicans have become increasingly wary of voting on any stopgap legislation after Trump signaled last month he would sign a Senate-passed bill that did not include border funding, only to say he would not sign it after facing backlash from conservative allies in the media and on Capitol Hill.

The shutdown has resulted in the furloughs of hundreds of thousands of federal employees and the shuttering of several government agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security, Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Justice, Interior and State, among others. </s> Al Asad Airbase, Iraq: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is prepared to wait as long as it takes to get $5 billion from taxpayers for his US-Mexico border wall, a demand that has triggered a partial shutdown of the federal government that is now in its fifth day.

With no immediate end to the shutdown in sight, Trump made his remarks during a surprise visit to Iraq and blamed the shutdown on Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who was expected to become speaker of the US House of Representatives on 3 January.

Trump had previously said he was prepared for a lengthy shutdown and when asked on Wednesday how long he would wait to get what he wants, he said, “Whatever it takes.”

“Nancy is calling the shots,” said the Republican president, suggesting that her opposition to his demand for wall funding had to do with Pelosi’s need for votes to become speaker.

“The American public is demanding a wall,” Trump said while on the ground at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq.

During a televised 11 December meeting with Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Trump had said he would be “proud to shut down the government for border security” but has since shifted the blame to Democrats.

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly promised Mexico would pay for his proposed wall. After Mexico repeatedly refused to do so, he began seeking US taxpayer funding for the wall, which he sees as vital to controlling illegal immigration.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll in late November found that improved border security was a top-three priority for only about 31% of Americans surveyed.

Even with both chambers of Congress and the White House under Republican control for the past two years, former real estate developer Trump has not gained full funding for his wall.

Democrats and some Republicans view it as a costly, unneeded and ineffective project, but some Republicans support the idea and back Trump’s demand for $5 billion in partial funding.

Following weeks of failed talks between Trump and congressional leaders, parts of the US government shut down on Saturday, affecting about 800,000 employees of the Departments of Homeland Security, Transportation and other agencies.

Most of the federal government, which directly employs almost 4 million people, is unaffected. The Defense Department and other key agencies are fully funded through 30 September.

Congress was scheduled to reconvene after a holiday break on Thursday and resume debate on the matter. </s> President Trump invited top lawmakers to the White House for talks as the partial government shutdown continued. Trump last met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (at right) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Dec. 11. Mark Wilson

Updated at 11:51 a.m. ET Wednesday

As the partial government shutdown continues into its second week, President Trump has invited a bipartisan group of top lawmakers to the White House for talks.

"The President has invited Republican and Democrat leaders in Congress to the White House for a border security briefing from senior Department of Homeland Security officials on Wednesday, and he remains committed to reaching an agreement that both reopens the government and keeps Americans safe," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Tuesday.

Trump's 3 p.m. ET meeting with the top eight Republican and Democratic congressional leaders is set a day before Democrats take over the House.

President Trump hinted at the talks in a tweet earlier Tuesday.

"Border Security and the Wall 'thing' and Shutdown is not where Nancy Pelosi wanted to start her tenure as Speaker! Let's make a deal?" Trump asked.

Replying to Trump's tweet, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who is set to take over as speaker, wrote that the president "has given Democrats a great opportunity to show how we will govern responsibly & quickly pass our plan to end the irresponsible #TrumpShutdown."

Trump has insisted on $5.7 billion for a southern border wall, but Democratic congressional leaders have stood firm against the funding.

The House is expected to vote on a funding bill to end the partial government shutdown on Thursday. That's the first day of the new Congress, when Democrats will take control of the chamber and are expected to elect Pelosi as speaker.

According to Pelosi, the legislation will include the full-year appropriations for six of the seven outstanding funding bills. And it would provide stopgap funding until Feb. 8 for the Department of Homeland Security, which is where the fight over border wall funding is contained.

"It is important to note that these bills contain no new wall funding," Pelosi said in a letter Tuesday to Democratic House members.

Sanders said the Democrats "so far have refused to compromise" and called Pelosi's plan a "non-starter because it does not fund our homeland security or keep American families safe from human trafficking, drugs, and crime."

About 800,000 federal employees are furloughed during the partial shutdown or are working without pay. On Friday, Trump issued an executive order freezing the salary rates for civilian federal workers. NPR's Scott Detrow contributed to this report. Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday was set to deliver a State of the Union speech challenging Democrats to approve funding for his long-sought border wall, but stopping short of declaring a national emergency over it, at least for now.

At 9 p.m. (0200 GMT Wednesday) before a joint session of Congress, Trump will likely stir contention with remarks on immigration policy, after his demand for $5.7 billion in wall funds triggered a historic 35-day partial government shutdown that more than half of Americans blamed him for, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

Millions of Americans were expected to be watching the address on television, giving Trump his biggest opportunity to date to explain why he believes a barrier is needed on the U.S. southern border with Mexico. The speech was delayed for a week because of the shutdown that ended on Jan. 25.

When he takes center stage in the chamber of the House of Representatives for the big speech, sitting behind him over his shoulder will be his main congressional adversary, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who became House speaker after her party won control of the chamber in November’s elections.

She has shown no sign of budging from her opposition to Trump’s wall-funding demand. That has led Trump to contemplate declaring a national emergency, which he says would let him reallocate funding from elsewhere without congressional action.

But a source close to Trump said the president was not expected to take that step, which would likely draw a swift court challenge from Democrats. Instead he will urge a congressional committee to do a border security deal by Feb. 15.

“He’s going to set the stage,” the source said. “He’ll tell people: ‘Here’s why I should,’ but say: ‘I’m giving Congress another chance to act.’”

Trump’s speech will also offer an olive branch to opponents as he looks toward the 2020 election, targeting areas he sees for potential bipartisan agreement, such as infrastructure improvements, lowering prescription drug costs and healthcare.

A senior administration official said Trump would “encourage Congress to reject the politics of resistance and retribution, and instead adopt a spirit of cooperation and compromise so we can achieve it.”

But that message could be undermined with Trump threatening to go his own way on the wall if he cannot get Congress to approve the funding he wants. On Sunday, Trump tweeted: “If there is no Wall, there is no Security.” He has said the wall, which he promised in his 2016 campaign, is needed to deter illegal immigration and drugs.

Some Republicans are urging Trump not to declare an emergency. “I’m for whatever works that prevents the level of dysfunction we’ve seen on full display here the last month, and also doesn’t bring about a view on the president’s part that he needs to declare a national emergency,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters last week.

Trump will also address foreign policy, including support for an effort to coax Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro into leaving power, declaring the Islamic State militant group all but defeated, and perhaps announcing where he will next meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He will also give an update on trade talks with the Chinese.

Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney went over the speech on Monday night with about a dozen supporters including former campaign aides Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie, as well as Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, a source familiar with the meeting said.

The source said Trump would discuss troop drawdowns in Syria and Afghanistan, and that about half the speech would be devoted to foreign policy.

Trump will also claim success on economic policy, including cutting federal regulations, the source said.

Some Democrats have invited guests to the speech to highlight various causes, some at odds with Trump’s policies, making a raucous atmosphere possible inside the House chamber.

Representative Pramila Jayapal said on Monday she would invite climate scientist Lisa Graumlich, dean of the College of the Environment at the University of Washington, as her guest, to underscore the climate change issue.

“One thing you will see is that the chamber is full and the president is surrounded by women, by people of color, by individuals who have really been hurt by this president and many of the actions that he has taken,” Jayapal said.

Republican strategist and former White House official Raj Shah said the speech offered Trump a chance to turn the page.

“Washington right now looks a little bit petty and a little bit small and the State of the Union is an opportunity to go big and talk in broad themes about what’s good about America and look beyond some of the issues of the last few weeks,” he said. </s> Likely incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Democrats will not give President Donald Trump funding for his desired wall along the US southern border.

"No, no," Pelosi says in a tweeted clip from an interview with the "TODAY" show. "Nothing for the wall."

Pelosi was responding to a question from anchor Savannah Guthrie, who asked if Democrats were "willing to come up and give him some of this money for the wall?"

"Because apparently that's the sticking point," Guthrie says.

Pelosi said Democrats would give money for "border security" but not a wall.

The interview will air on Thursday — which is both day 13 of a partial government shutdown that has centered around funding for the wall, and the day that the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives.

The partial government shutdown began after no deal was reached by the end of December 21. President Trump said he would not sign a stopgap continuing resolution to fund part of the government until February 8.

The Senate passed the stopgap bill with the understanding that the president would sign it, however, after criticism from those on his base, Trump changed course. House Republicans — before giving up their majority — passed a spending bill with $5.7 billion for the wall. That bill, however, does not have the 60 votes in the Senate needed to pass.

Read more: Trump rants about the government shutdown, stock market 'glitches,' Tom Cruise, and more during wild Cabinet meeting

As Business Insider's Bob Bryan reported, around 75% of the government was funded through a series of bills passed prior to the wall-related impasse (five of 12 were passed). However, nine federal agencies were not funded, impacting roughly 800,000 federal workers; 420,000 must work without pay, while the rest are furloughed until the shutdown is over. The shutdown, which was the third of 2018 (and spilled over into 2019), is affecting national monuments in Washington, DC and national parks around the country.

On Wednesday, Trump met with Democratic and Republican congressional leaders, but no deal was made.

On January 3, the Democrats take control of the House, and on Monday they unveiled bills that would open the government but not provide funding for the border wall. Trump asked leaders to meet again on Friday. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On the 34th day of a partial U.S. government shutdown, President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats remain at odds over his demand for funding for a wall on the border with Mexico.

Trump has refused to sign any legislation to fund an array of government agencies, including the departments of agriculture, commerce, justice, interior and homeland security, unless it includes $5.7 billion for his long-promised wall.

The Democrats, who control the House of Representatives, have rejected the wall as ineffective and immoral and want the government to be reopened before any further talks about border security.

As long as the stalemate continues, 800,000 federal employees are on furlough or working without pay.

The following are some possible ways the standoff might end:

The Senate is due to vote on two measures on Thursday: Trump’s proposal to fund government agencies through Sept. 30 while paying for a wall and also providing some temporary protections for some undocumented immigrants (“Dreamers”), and a Democratic plan to reopen the government through Feb. 8 while border security negotiations continue.

Both measures are expected to be defeated. If they are, that could clear the way for a new round of negotiations between Congress and Trump.

The fact that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is willing to allow the votes suggests he may be trying to persuade lawmakers of both parties to compromise. The speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, told reporters on Thursday that she was willing to meet face-to-face with Trump.

POSSIBLE WAYS TO BREAK THE IMPASSE

* Congress and Trump find a way to temporarily re-open the government under a promise of serious border security negotiations over the next month or so.

* Democrats agree to more than the $1.3 billion in border security funding they have been backing, but less than the $5.7 billion Trump wants. If Trump faces a public opinion backlash or there are signs Republican lawmakers may be abandoning him, he might have to settle for less.

* Democrats and Republicans agree on $5.7 billion in border security funding this year, but the language allows both sides to claim victory by including different ways of securing the border. Democrats insist the money will not be used to build a wall; Trump and his fellow Republicans tout the money that will include funding for various types of barriers and other tools to discourage illegal immigration and drugs.

* A “grand bargain” emerges that reopens the government, bolsters border security and also provides protections from deportation for “Dreamers,” who were brought to the United States illegally by their parents. Other changes to immigration law also could be included. Such a deal would fund federal programs through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, add funds for an array of border security tools without imposing tough new constraints on immigration that Trump has previously attempted.

While the possibility that this might happen has faded recently, Trump could revive his threat to declare a national emergency at any time. His rationale would be that illegal immigration jeopardizes U.S. security and he is empowered to act by redirecting existing federal funds to build the wall. Defense Department accounts could be targeted for use on the border.

Under the Constitution, Congress holds the power to make decisions about spending U.S. taxpayers’ money and using presidential powers to move funding around is almost certain to face legal challenges.

Taking this step would probably lead to prompt enactment of legislation reopening the government under the belief that Trump would sign it into law, without the $5.7 billion. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the House of Representatives are planning a vote on Thursday on a funding package to end the 10-day-old partial U.S. government shutdown without providing the $5 billion President Donald Trump has demanded for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The planned vote sets up a Democratic showdown with Trump’s fellow Republicans on an issue dear to the president on the first day of divided government in Washington since he took office in January 2017 with a Congress led by his own party. Democrats will formally take control of the House from the Republicans on Thursday after winning a majority of seats in November’s congressional elections.

The two-part package will include a bill to keep funding for the Department of Homeland Security at current levels through Feb. 8 with $1.3 billion for border security, as well as measures to fund other shuttered agencies through the Sept. 30 end of the current fiscal year, Democratic congressional aides said on Monday.

If approved in the House, the government funding package would go next to the Republican-led Senate. Its Senate prospects appear unpromising though Trump’s unpredictability makes it hard to gauge how the shutdown showdown will play out.

The Democratic legislation will mark the first major battle pitting the incoming Democratic House majority led by Nancy Pelosi against Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has said his chamber will not consider any legislation Trump would not support.

Democrats oppose Trump’s demand for wall funding, with Pelosi calling the wall immoral, ineffective and expensive.

Democrats expect their two-pronged funding approach could put Trump and his Republican allies in a tough position. If they reject funding bills for departments unconnected to border security, Republicans could be seen as holding those agencies and their roughly 800,000 affected workers hostage to Trump’s wall demand. Those include the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, Commerce and Justice.

The homeland security piece of the Democratic package is based on a measure that has already passed the Senate with bipartisan support.

The partial government shutdown, which began on Dec. 22 and has idled roughly a quarter of the federal government, was precipitated by Trump’s demand, under pressure from conservative commentators, that Congress approve $5 billion to help fund a wall that was a promise made in his 2016 election campaign, though he said at the time it would be paid for by Mexico.

Trump has called the wall crucial to combating illegal immigration and drug trafficking. The Senate on Dec. 21 failed to muster the votes needed to pass Republican-backed House legislation that included Trump’s wall funding.

A central issue in finding a resolution could be the definition of what constitutes a wall including the idea of steel slats and other types of barriers versus a concrete structure.

Trump on Twitter criticized Democratic opposition to the wall project, which carries a total estimated price tag of $23 billion. He also seemed to contradict comments about the administration’s position on the wall made by outgoing White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published on Sunday, Kelly said, “To be honest, it’s not a wall.”

“The president still says ‘wall’ - oftentimes frankly he’ll say ‘barrier’ or ‘fencing,’ now he’s tended towards steel slats. But we left a solid concrete wall early on in the administration, when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it,” Kelly added.

Trump said in a Twitter post that border security cannot exist “without a strong and powerful Wall.”

“An all concrete Wall was NEVER ABANDONED, as has been reported by the media,” Trump wrote. “Some areas will be all concrete but the experts at Border Patrol prefer a Wall that is see through (thereby making it possible to see what is happening on both sides). Makes sense to me!”

Some policy analysts were optimistic the shutdown could be near an end.

“We attach high (75 percent) odds on the White House and new Congress resolving differences to the government shutdown next week,” said Charles Gabriel, an analyst at policy research and strategy firm Capital Alpha Partners.

A senior Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Senate Democrats support the House legislative plan and that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has been in constant contact with Pelosi about it.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally on some issues, met with the president on Sunday and told reporters afterward he was optimistic that Republicans, Democrats and Trump could reach a deal to end the shutdown that includes wall funding and legal status for some illegal immigrants.

But Graham said there would never be a government spending deal that did not include money for a wall or other physical barriers on the southern border. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and border security (all times local):

The American Civil Liberties Union says it will file a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's emergency declaration to fund a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.

The Friday announcement came hours after Trump signed the declaration and said he expected legal challenges. The civil rights group will argue that Trump's use of emergency powers is unprecedented and can't be used to build a border wall.

ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero says the declaration is 'patently illegal.' Their legal action would be separate from anything Congress may do.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (puh-LOH'-see) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have also raised the possibility of legal action. They say Trump's decision would "shred the Constitution" by usurping Congress' power to control spending.

White House officials say some of the money would come from military construction projects.

President Donald Trump has signed legislation to avert another government shutdown and pay for limited fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders says Trump signed the bill at the White House on Friday.

The legislation gives Trump 55 additional miles of border fencing, well short of the 200-plus miles he wanted.

The legislation also keeps parts of the government from shutting down at midnight Friday by providing $333 billion to finance several Cabinet agencies through September.

Trump on Friday declared a national emergency at the southern border and is using his executive authority to tap billions of other government funds to build the wall.

Congress' two top Democrats say they'll use "every remedy available" to oppose President Donald Trump's declaration of an emergency to shift billions of federal dollars into building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (puh-LOH'-see) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday they'll take action "in the Congress, in the Courts, and in the public."

They say Trump's decision to declare an emergency is unlawful. They say it would "shred the Constitution" by usurping Congress' power to control spending.

White House officials say some of the money would come from military construction projects. Pelosi and Schumer say Trump would be using money needed "for the security of our military and our nation."

Democrats can file lawsuits and force congressional votes to block Trump's money transfers. Trump could veto the legislation should it pass.

President Donald Trump says he expects legal challenges to his decision to declare a national emergency to erect barriers between the U.S. and Mexico but says he'll be vindicated.

Trump announced Friday that he has signed the appropriate paperwork to declare an emergency on the border so he can build a wall.

In a sing-songy tone of voice, Trump then described how the decision will be challenged and work its way through the courts, including up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Critics have accused Trump of abusing his authority.

Trump says he shouldn't be sued but predicts "we will be very successful in court."

He adds: "Sadly, we'll be sued and sadly it will go through a process and happily we'll win."

President Donald Trump says he needs to use emergency powers to protect the United States from drug dealers and immigrants in the nation illegally.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted a photo of Trump signing the declaration Friday in the moments before his scattershot Rose Garden news conference.

Trump told stories of horrific abuse of women being smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border but didn't provide any evidence. He also said the border wall would be needed to battle drug cartels as part of a "virtual invasion" from Mexico.

The president declared a national emergency and would find other funds for the wall after expressing unhappiness about a congressional border security deal.

Families of people killed by immigrants in the United States illegally attended the news conference.

Trump's plans have been criticized on Capitol Hill.

President Donald Trump says many other presidents have declared national emergencies. But the presidents he has cited did not use emergency powers to pay for projects that Congress wouldn't support.

Emergency declarations by former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were overwhelmingly for the purpose of addressing crises that emerged abroad. Many blocked foreign interests or terrorist-linked entities from access to funds. Some prohibited certain imports from or investments to countries associated with human rights abuses.

A list compiled by the Brennan Center says Clinton declared 17 national emergencies, Bush 13 and Obama 12.

Trump said Friday he will use executive powers to bypass Congress, which approved far less money for border barriers than he had sought. Trump plans to siphon billions of dollars from federal military construction and counterdrug efforts for his long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The move has drawn criticism on Capitol Hill and is expected to face rounds of legal challenges.

President Donald Trump says he'll be declaring a national emergency so he can build a southern border wall.

Trump did not say on Friday when he would make such a declaration, but the move will allow him to bypass Congress to spend more money to erect barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Congress has given Trump about $1.4 billion for border barriers, well below the $5.7 billion Trump has insisted he needed to build a wall.

To get around Congress, Trump plans to use his executive authority to tap other sources of funding to get a total of $8 billion to build the wall. The White House says Trump plans to tap accounts in the Treasury and Defense departments, but not money earmarked for disaster relief.

Trump's move is expected to prompt lawsuits and challenges in Congress.

Add the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the groups opposing a national emergency declaration by President Donald Trump to free up budget funds to build his Southwest border wall.

The business organization's stance is not a total surprise. It's opposed Trump administration efforts to restrict legal immigration and to make it harder for young "Dreamer" immigrants to stay in the U.S.

Still, the chamber usually leans Republican. Its opposition Friday is the latest example of how word of an emergency declaration is splitting the GOP and its constituencies.

Trump plans to sign bipartisan legislation providing nearly $1.4 billion to build border barriers, but that fell short of the $5.7 billion he wanted.

Trump is expected to invoke executive powers to access another $6.6 billion. He says he'll sign a national emergency. That's expected to prompt lawsuits and challenges in Congress.

President Donald Trump plans to spend about $8 billion on border barriers, far more than Congress has given him for that purpose.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney says Trump will tap various other sources of money beyond the nearly $1.4 billion in a government funding bill that Congress passed. Trump is expected to sign the bill.

Besides the money from Congress, Mulvaney said Friday that Trump plans to spend $600 million in Treasury forfeiture funds and $2.5 billion in Defense Department counterdrug money. Trump is also tapping about $3.6 billion worth of funds set aside for military construction projects.

Mulvaney says Trump is not tapping disaster relief money designated to help Texas and Puerto Rico following recent devastating hurricanes.

Trump's moves are expected to prompt lawsuits and challenges in Congress.

Congress has lopsidedly approved a border security compromise that would avert a second painful government shutdown.

But a new confrontation has been ignited. President Donald Trump's plan to bypass lawmakers and declare a national emergency to siphon billions from other federal coffers for his wall on the Mexican boundary is certain to be challenged.

Money in the bill for border barriers, about $1.4 billion, is far below the $5.7 billion Trump insisted he needed and would finance just a quarter of the 200-plus miles he wanted. The White House said he'd sign the legislation passed Thursday but act unilaterally to get more. That prompted condemnations from Democrats and threats of lawsuits from states and others who might lose federal money or said Trump was abusing his authority.
President Trump and congressional leaders fail to resolve their political differences over federal funding for the border barrier, with Pelosi stating that the president will receive "nothing for the wall" from her party.