Nancy Pelosi promised she would shut down the Federal government “forever” if that’s what it took to prevent Trump’s border wall from passing Congress.
And establishment Republicans caved like they always do in the face of her threats.
But President Trump just blindsided Pelosi with this stunning announcement about the border wall fight.
December has been a month of controversy in Washington.
With the current Congress winding down and Democrats set to take control of the House of Democrats in just a few weeks, Nancy Pelosi thought she had President Trump cornered.
There would be no wall, no border security, and no end to the wave of illegal immigrants pouring into the country.
But President Trump just blindsided Pelosi by announcing he’s calling her bluff.
Breitbart reports: “President Donald Trump called for a meeting with House Republicans on Thursday, signaling that he did not want to move forward to fund the government without additional funds for border security.”
The news comes after Republicans appeared poised to once again cave to Democrat threats to obstruct any funding or approval to secure the border.
However, President Trump appears ready to force Pelosi’s hand. If the incoming Speaker of the House wants to shut down the Federal government over securing the southern border, President Trump seems happy to stand by and kill any spending bills that don’t include a wall.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed President Trump is getting ready to push back against Pelosi’s threats and call her bluff.
“At this moment, the President does not want to go further without border security, which includes steel slats or a wall. The President is continuing to weigh his options,” Sanders said.
For his part, President Trump seems ready to go to war with Republicans and Democrats alike over their failure to address border security this year.
On Twitter, the President unloaded on Congress for failing to pass any legislation to build a wall along the southern border with Mexico, a campaign promise that propelled Trump to the Republican nomination and eventually the presidency itself.
The President tweeted, “When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership. Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didn’t happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries – but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!”
The tweet suggests President Trump will veto a Senate-backed bill to keep the government open until February, which lacks any funding for a wall or increased border security.
The continuing resolution — passed by the Senate on Wednesday night — has yet to be passed by the House, but with President Trump signaling he is prepared to veto the bill, Trump has now placed both establishment Republicans and Democrats in a bind.
Congress likely does not have the votes to force an override of any presidential veto, and Trump has suggested that he’s willing to take things a step further and veto all Democrat-backed bills that get to his desk unless he’s given the necessary funding to build a border wall.
On Thursday morning, the President tweeted, “The Democrats, who know Steel Slats (Wall) are necessary for Border Security, are putting politics over Country. What they are just beginning to realize is that I will not sign any of their legislation, including infrastructure, unless it has perfect Border Security. U.S.A. WINS!”
Trump’s latest moves have stunned Democrats, who just a few days ago thought they had him beat.
Nancy Pelosi was sure Trump was going to back down.
And now he’s not only threatening to call her bluff but also promising that he will kill any bills she passes next year unless he gets Congress to act on his signature campaign promise.
But with a new Congress set to take office the first week of January, the time is running out for Republicans to pass a budget bill that includes funding for the wall.
We will keep you up to date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
