Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda (Calif.) says lawmakers could quickly reach a deal to end the partial government shutdown if President Trump would give up his border wall, calling it an idea from “medieval times.”
“I think if the president would simply give up on the outdated notion of building a wall from medieval times and would embrace the idea of today’s technologies for border security we could quickly put this to rest,” Rouda told actor Richard Schiff on Friday.
But Rouda doesn’t believe Trump will back down on his demands for border wall funding anytime soon.
“He will not give up on the concrete wall, which is a bit ironic too because let’s remember he got elected by repeating over and over and over that Mexico was going to pay for this wall,” the congressman said.
Rouda said Trump now expects American taxpayers to “waste” their money for a barrier that “will not do the job” in providing better border security along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Building a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border was one of Trump’s key promises during the 2016 election, and since taking office, Trump has repeatedly claimed that he would make Mexico pay for it.
Mexico, however, has refused. In August, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray Caso said that, even though the country reached a new trade deal with the U.S., Mexican officials would “never” agree to pay for a wall.
Trump, meanwhile, has said that he will do whatever it takes to get his border wall, even if it means declaring a national emergency.
During a closed-door meeting with congressional lawmakers on Friday, President Trump also said he is prepared to allow the shutdown to drag on for months or even years if he doesn’t get his $5 billion to fund the border wall.
Trump nevertheless said the meeting was “productive,” and the group came a “long way” during the meeting.
Democratic leaders who were at the meeting did not echo the president’s sentiment.
Both Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) said they don’t think the standoff will be resolved until the government is reopened.
“It’s very hard to see how progress will be made unless they open up the government,” Schumer said.
More negotiations are expected to take place over the weekend.
—Tess Bonn
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