The White House is bracing for the partial government shutdown to last for weeks longer, potentially until the end of February, according to a new report.
Some aides to President Trump are crafting segments of his State of the Union Address later this month and are taking into account that the partial shutdown will not be resolved by then, the Wall Street Journal reports. Although it’s unclear whether Trump has been filled in about the discussions, aides have reportedly weighed having Trump blame members of Congress and accuse them of not devoting enough energy to immigration issues at the southern border during the address.
Additionally, White House officials familiar with the issue said the White House Office of Management and Budget has made preparations for the shutdown to last for weeks longer.
“We are continuing to look at all options on the table,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. “We would like to get the government open immediately.”
Recently, Trump has suggested declaring a national emergency that would direct military funding for a border wall, amid the partial government shutdown due to a dispute over funding for the project. Such funds would be pulled from the Pentagon’s budget for construction projects that Congress has already approved.
Trump, who has called for more than $5 billion to build a wall, met with lawmakers Wednesday to discuss options to end the partial shutdown, but no solution was reached. On Friday, he said that he was not planning to declare a national emergency and that such an action would be a last resort. Rather, he said that Congress should take action and “come back and vote.”
“What we’re not looking to do right now is national emergency,” Trump said Friday.
“This is too simple. It’s too basic and Congress should do this,” he said. “If they can’t do it, if at some point they just can’t do it, this is a 15-minute meeting. If they can’t do it, I will declare a national emergency. I have the absolute right to do it. It says as clear as you can.”
Approximately 800,000 federal workers have been affected by the partial shutdown.
