Trump not backing down on shutdown threat over border wall

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday that President Trump is committed to the construction of his proposed border wall.

“The President has made no secret that this is a priority for him, and he continues to advocate for it and he’ll continue to make sure that we move forward to secure the border and secure our country,” Sanders told reporters, per White House pool reports.

Sanders said the wall, which was a signature campaign promise of Trump’s during the 2016 campaign, is “vital to security, the immigration system.”

{mosads}The press secretary’s comments follow Trump’s Tuesday night threat to shut down the government should Congress not provide funding for the wall, which he originally said Mexico would fund.

When asked if Trump will actually shut down the government over the wall, Sanders said Trump is committed to both the construction of the wall and working with Congress.

“Look, I think the President is committed to making sure it happens, and he’s also committed to working with Congress to make sure that we move forward,” she said. “And as I think Speaker [Paul] Ryan [R-Wis.] said, it’s not necessary, so maybe that means he’s on board with making sure it happens.”

Democratic leadership on Wednesday responded to Trump’s threat by reiterating that the party will oppose border wall funding.

“President Trump’s multibillion dollar border wall boondoggle is strongly opposed by Democrats and many Republicans,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said. “Democrats will stand fast against the immoral, ineffective border wall and the rest of Republicans’ unacceptable poison pill riders.”