President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Monday to announce he is taking his case to the American people for a wall on the southern border.
I am pleased to inform you that I will Address the Nation on the Humanitarian and National Security crisis on our Southern Border. Tuesday night at 9:00 P.M. Eastern.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2019
Trump also plans to travel to the U.S. border with Mexico on Thursday to make his case to get $5.7 billion for a border wall.
At midnight, this will become the second longest shutdown in history. In 1995, there was a 21-day impasse between President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich over raising the debt ceiling.
Negotiations remain at a standstill as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not join discussions over the weekend.
“I’ve made it clear on several occasions, and let me say it again: The Senate will not take up any proposal that does not have a real chance of passing this chamber and getting a presidential signature,” McConnell said.
“This is clearly not how you negotiate a deal in good faith, and it’s never appropriate to hold paychecks and vital government services hostage as a deal-making tactic,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Illinois), who serves on the House Appropriations Committee.
House Democrats plan to introduce four individual appropriations bills to fund non-controversial agencies, like the departments of treasury, interior and agriculture. (The latter oversees the food stamp program.) Senate Republicans are unlikely to reopen the government in a piecemeal way.
Besides its impact on national parks and museums, the shutdown is leading some Transportation Security Administration airport workers to call in sick as it continues. Law enforcement workers at the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency, Bureau of Prisons, Customs and Border Protection, Coast Guard and Secret Service are also affected, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland).
Joining us to talk about the standoff and what’s next for the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives is Quigley, who represents Illinois’ 5th Congressional District.
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