Trump Walks Out of Shutdown Talks, Calls Them ‘Total Waste of Time’ by Rebecca Ballhaus, Kristina Peterson and Natalie Andrews – Wall Street Journal
As negotiations to end a partial government shutdown broke down Wednesday, White House officials say an increasingly likely option is for President Trump to declare a national emergency over border security and try to use Pentagon funds to pay for construction of a wall or other barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border.
If the White House goes that route, House Democrats, who now hold a majority in the chamber, have vowed to immediately challenge it in court.
The stakes in the showdown over border-wall funding heightened Wednesday after discussions at the White House between the president and congressional leaders collapsed when Mr. Trump walked out. The meeting opened with Democratic lawmakers highlighting the plight of federal workers, who are at risk of not getting paychecks this week, and Mr. Trump lamenting human trafficking at the border, according to lawmakers and congressional aides…