A wild day in Washington ends with uncertainty as to how President and newly powerful Democrats can compromise
\nMONITORING DESK
\nWASHINGTON
\nA meeting Friday between President Donald Trump and newly powerful Democrats ended in varied descriptions of what transpired, with Republicans expressing fresh optimism a deal could be struck and their political opponents offering drearier views of a compromise.
\nNeither side emerged detailing an immediate breakthrough that could end the continued stalemate that has allowed a partial government shutdown to wear on for two weeks. And despite his rosier outlook, Trump conceded the impasse could reach an historic length, a timeline first relayed by the Senate\u2019s top Democrat.
\nTrump \u201csaid he\u2019d keep the government closed for a very long period of time — months or even years,\u201d according to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who spoke to reporters in the White House driveway.
\n\u201cAbsolutely I said that,\u201d Trump affirmed from the Rose Garden shortly afterward. \u201cI don\u2019t think it will, but I\u2019m prepared.\u201d
\nLater, two people familiar with the meeting said Trump even mentioned extending the standoff \u201cto the election\u201d and refused to back off his demand for $5.6 billion in funding for a border wall. He opened the talks by launching into a 15-minute salvo that also included griping at the House speaker for recent comments from Democratic lawmakers raising the specter of impeachment.
\nDespite those disagreements, Trump announced that further discussions would occur over the weekend led by staff members. And he sought to highlight areas, like increasing port capacity, where he was in agreement with Democrats.
\n\u201cWe had a very, very productive meeting and I think we\u2019ve come a long way,\u201d Trump said, adding later: \u201cWe\u2019re all on the same path in terms of wanting to get government open.\u201d
\nTrump said he designated a group of aides, including Vice President Mike Pence, Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, to participate in the weekend discussions, which he described as meant to \u201cdetermine what we\u2019re going to do about the border.\u201d
\nIt\u2019s that question which still divides the White House and congressional Democrats, who have vowed to block any attempts to secure new funding for a border wall. Both sides remained firm in their positions on Friday following the two-hour meeting in the White House Situation Room.
\n\u201cWe won\u2019t be opening until it\u2019s solved,\u201d Trump said of the debate over building the wall. \u201cIt\u2019s a problem of national security. It\u2019s a problem of terrorists.\u201d
\n\u201cWe\u2019re not doing it in pieces,\u201d he went on. \u201cWe won\u2019t be doing it in drips and drabs.\u201d
\nDemocrats were equally dug in, saying the matter of a border barrier should only be brought up once the government has reopened.
\n\u201cWe cannot resolve this until we open up government, and we made that very clear to the President,\u201d Pelosi said after the White House meeting.
\nShe described the session as \u201ca lengthy and sometimes contentious conversation\u201d but indicated there was some progress made.
\n\u201cHow do you define progress in a meeting?\u201d she asked. \u201cWhen you have a better understanding of each other\u2019s position? When you eliminate some possibilities? If that\u2019s the judgment, we made some progress.\u201d
\nSenators are due back in the Capitol next week after the chamber adjourned Friday morning, meaning the shutdown will likely extend into a third week. Roughly 800,000 federal workers are going without pay and several federal systems are closed, including the Smithsonian museums and some national parks.
\nTrump offered little solace to federal workers affected by the shutdown in his remarks on Friday, a group he\u2019s said little about since nine federal agencies saw their funding lapse last month. Some workers have said they are unsure of how they will pay for rent or living expenses without a regular paycheck.
\n\u201cThe safety net will be a strong border because we\u2019re going to be safe,\u201d Trump said when questioned about those federal workers\u2019 plight. \u201cI really believe that they agree with what we\u2019re doing.\u201d
\nAsked if he thought landlords would be lenient on federal employees whose paychecks are affected by the shutdown, Trump said he did.
\n\u201cI would encourage them to be nice and easy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A wild day in Washington ends with uncertainty as to how President and newly powerful Democrats can compromise MONITORING DESK WASHINGTON A meeting Friday between President Donald Trump and newly powerful Democrats ended in varied descriptions of what transpired, with Republicans expressing fresh optimism a deal could be struck and their political opponents offering drearier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n