President Trump announced today that he reached a deal with lawmakers to reopen the federal government for three weeks.
During an address in the Rose Garden, the President said he would sign a bill to open the government until Feb. 15, while Congress negotiates border security funding.
“After 36 days of spirited debate and dialogue, I have seen and heard from enough Democrats and Republicans that they are willing to put partisanship aside, I think,” said Trump.
However, if Congress does not reach a deal in three weeks, the government would close again. The president alluded that he could declare a state of emergency in order to fund the border wall.
**LISTEN: Robert Mueller is getting desperate**
“We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier,” he said. “If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on Feb. 15, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency. We will have great security.”
“As commander-in-chief, my highest priority is the defense of our great country,” he continued. “We cannot surrender operational contol over our nation’s borders to foreign cartels, tarffickers and smugglers.”
The President also thanked federal workers for enduring the effects of the shutdown, saying they would receive back pay “very quickly or as soon as possible.”
