Trump: US Civil Servants Working Without Pay Are ‘Great Patriots’

January 21, 2019, 2:30 PM

Trump: US Civil Servants Working Without Pay Are 'Great Patriots'

President Donald Trump speaks about the partial government shutdown, immigration and border security in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, in Washington, Jan. 19, 2019.

WASHINGTON —

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday described hundreds of thousands of federal civil servants working without pay during the partial government shutdown as "great patriots," but there was no movement toward ending the record 31-day closure of a quarter of U.S. government operations.

Trump renewed his call for a wall along part of the U.S.-Mexican border, on Twitter.

About 800,000 federal workers have been affected by the shutdown, with more than half ordered to continue working without pay and the rest sent home.

Internal Revenue Service employee Mary Maldonado, of Dracut, Mass. (C) displays a placard during a rally by federal employees and supporters, Jan. 17, 2019, in front of the Statehouse, in Boston, held to call for an end of the partial government shutdown.

During the weekend, Trump offered a compromise to resolve the shutdown spawned by a dispute with opposition Democratic lawmakers over his demand for $5.7 billion to build the border barrier to thwart illegal immigration.

In exchange for wall funding, Trump's plan calls for three years of protection against deportation for hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the country illegally when they were children, as well extensions of protected status for people who fled Latin American and African countries because of violence or natural disasters.

Democrats object to the border wall as ineffective and immoral, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying Trump's proposal is a "non-starter.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 17, 2019.

"They want Trump and Republicans to agree to reopen the government first and then discuss other border security initiatives, while offering $1.3 billion in new border security money, but none specifically for a wall.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he plans to bring Trump's proposal to a vote in his chamber this week, although he will need some Democratic support to win approval.

FILE - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to Capitol Hill reporters in Washington, U.S., Jan. 15, 2019. — FILE – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to Capitol Hill reporters in Washington, U.S., Jan. 15, 2019.

Pelosi said she is planning votes this week on adding more immigration judges and money for scanning vehicles and drugs at the country's ports of entry.

The House has already passed several measures that would reopen the government, but McConnell has refused to bring them up for a vote in the Senate, saying he will not consider any bill that Trump would not support.

Trump assailed Pelosi on Twitter on Sunday.

Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement there is "simply no reason" for the shutdown to continue while the two sides "are engaged in a complex policy discussion."

She said protecting the immigrants from deportation "is the right thing to do.

"But Lowey said Trump "is wrong to hold them hostage over money for a wasteful wall that could be better spent on more effective border security measures. The president's trade offer — temporary protections for some immigrants in exchange for a border wall boondoggle — is not acceptable."

Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but major legislation in the chamber almost always requires a 60-vote majority. It is unclear if Trump will be able to convince at least seven Democrats to vote for his proposal.

Even if the Senate approves Trump's plan, it would face defeat in the House. A Senate victory for Trump, however, could force new negotiations over his border wall plan and over reopening the government, as furloughed federal workers are set to miss their second paycheck next Friday.

Original Article