Test for Trumps steel wall prototype proves it can be sawed through
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Thousands of federal workers missed their first pay cheque of the year on Friday as the US government shutdown neared an ignominious record for the longest in the nation’s history.
More than 800,000 public sector staff are either furloughed or have been working without any guarantee of pay since the current impasse began on 22 December.
Donald Trump had threatened to declare a national emergency to bypass congress and force through the spending plan at the centre of the dispute, which includes $5.7bn (£4.5bn) funding for the president’s controversial border wall contested by Democrats. But on Friday, the president said he would not declare on "right now".
The government shutdown will become the longest in US history on Saturday, surpassing the 21-day deadlock seen between December 1995 and January 1996 during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
“The easy solution is for me to call a national emergency. I could do that very quickly,” Mr Trump said during a White House event on border security. “I have the absolute right to do it. But I'm not going to do it so fast. Because this is something Congress should do.”
Mr Trump spoke after legislators had left Washington for the weekend, precluding any possible action until next week.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said President Trump needs to make the next move to end the impasses.
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“When the president acts, we will respond to whatever he does,” Ms Pelosi told reporters at a ceremonial event following congressional passage of legislation guaranteeing that federal employees will receive back pay once government agencies reopen.
To see how the day unfolded follow our live blog below
Senator Bernie Sanders, whom is considered to be a 2020 presidential hopeful, tweeted a photo of a paycheck from an unnamed air traffic controller. The paycheck is written out to be $0 due to the government shutdown.
Donald Trump has said it would be easy for him just to declare a national emergency and find federal money to build a barrier along the southern border, but he's not going to be so quick to do that because he Congress can reach a deal.
Mr Trump spoke during a discussion at the White House with state, local and community leaders about border security and safe communities.
The president said the "easy solution is for me to call a national emergency ... but I'm not going to do it so fast."
"This is something that Congress can do," he added.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent an email to State Department workers Friday addressing the challenging nature of the government shutdown, but said "we face a serious humanitarian and security crisis, and the President is working to secure our southern border and bring reforms that will ensure the safety and security of the American people."
Federal employees have posted pictures of the pay stubs on Twitter and vented their frustration as the standoff over the shutdown.
"I saw the zeros in my pay stub today, and it's a combination of reality setting in and just sadness," air traffic controller Josh Maria told The Associated Press. "We're America. We can do better than this."
Earlier on Friday, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted 240-179 to restore funding for the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, two of the agencies that have been shuttered since 22 December.
President Trump urged Democrats to return to Washington and vote for a wall or barrier, saying, “They can name it whatever. They can name it peaches."
“This is where I ask the Democrats to come back to Washington and to vote for money for the wall, the barrier, whatever you want to call it, it’s OK with me,” the president said at the roundtable on Friday.
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