Trump Rejected Plan of Graham to Reopen Government during Negotiations

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The U.S President Donald Trump has rejected a proposal forwarded by a key Republican ally in Congress to end the longest U.S government shutdown in American history. Trump said that he will never ever back down over border security. Lindsey Graham has indicated that the partial shutdown has entered in 25th day.

He also discussed the option of reopening the government temporarily as negotiations continue with Democrats. They have rejected to sanction a demand from the president for $5.7 billion to construct a wall on the U.S-Mexico border. The idea of Graham had seen some support from Democrats, but the president declined to talk.

US Senator Lindsey Graham and Trump

On Monday, Trump said, “I’m not interested”, as he made his way to New Orleans, where he delivered a speech to a farming convention. He said, “I want it solved. I don’t want to just delay it. I want to get it solved”. The comment came just hours after the president tweeted that he had been waiting all weekend to negotiate with congressional Democrats to reopen the government. Trump said that he believed an end could be negotiated in 15 minutes.

Trump last week stormed out of a White House conference room after asking Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi if she would sanction border wall funding if he approved legislation to reopen the government. Pelosi rejected the offer. Graham had made his suggestion during an appearance on Fox News on Sunday.

He said, “Before he pulls the plug on the legislative option, and I think we’re almost there, I would urge him to open up the government for a short period of time, like three weeks, before he pulls the plug, see if we can get a deal. If we can’t at the end of three weeks, all bets are off”.

Trump said during his speech in New Orleans that there was no substitute for a physical barrier along the southern border with Mexico. He blamed Democrats of playing politics in rejecting to negotiate on the border wall issue.