Trump: Only reason government remains shutdown is because Democrats will not fund border security
President Trump delivers first Oval Office address, focusing on the need for border security.
The American people chose Donald Trump – the ultimate political outsider – to be their president in 2016 and solve problems affecting hardworking taxpayers. They understood that the out-of-touch political elites were no longer listening to them or addressing the issues they care about most. One of those issues is our nation’s ongoing illegal immigration crisis.
For more than 20 years, Washington politicians on both sides of the aisle – like former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.; current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. – never seriously made dealing with illegal immigration a priority. They talked about the problem, but never solved it.
In contrast, President Trump is now doing everything in his power to secure the border and end the partial government shutdown. He worked over Christmas while Nancy Pelosi vacationed in Hawaii. He is planning a trip to the border on Thursday to hear more from Border Patrol officers on the ground. And he addressed the nation Tuesday to make his excellent case to the American people.
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The president made clear in his address to the nation from the Oval Office that he is determined to confront this crisis at the border now by offering noble, commonsense solutions that the professionals on the border are asking for.
President Trump’s remarks were straightforward and to the point. Women and children are most harmed by this humanitarian crisis on our southern border. This is not a manufactured crisis or waste of money, as the Democratic leaders in Congress have falsely and irresponsibly asserted.
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The president stated that about 300 Americans are killed by heroin every week, 90 percent of which flows through our southern border. This must not be allowed to continue!
Two years into the Trump administration, the American people are eager to put an end to this dangerous situation on our border with Mexico and so is the president of the United States. But the defenders of the failed status quo in the Washington swamp aren’t budging.
How many more people in our country – like police officer Ronil Singh and Kate Steinle – must be tragically killed by illegal immigrants before politicians on Capitol Hill finally take action?
How many more people in our country – like police officer Ronil Singh and Kate Steinle – must be tragically killed by illegal immigrants before politicians on Capitol Hill finally take action?
Federal workers and contractors affected by the partial government shutdown should be made whole and receive their back pay after this problem is solved – but the families who have lost loved ones because of illegal immigrants will never get them back.
President Trump wants to secure every American from the dangers of gangs, crime, drugs and human trafficking coming across our border. He wants to do that using every means at his disposal including building a wall, utilizing more technology, and hiring more Border Patrol officers.
There are more than 12 million illegal immigrants in our country, according to the Homeland Security Department – no one knows exactly how many more – costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars per year. President Trump has asked for a reasonable $5.7 billion in funding for a border wall – so the wall would pay for itself in no time.
Schumer and Pelosi's response to the president Tuesday night made it clear that Democrats are in denial about the crisis on our border. They proposed kicking the can down the road once again and are choosing to play politics as usual. President Trump, on the other hand, wants to break the failed status quo in Washington and solve this problem once and for all.
As the president said Tuesday night, the border security dispute could be solved in one 45-minute meeting. But the truth is that our government remains in partial shutdown because the Democratic leadership in Congress is not acting in good faith. President Trump wants to make a deal to secure our border, but the Democrats have only hardened their entrenched position.
The anti-Trump media continues to ignore this fact even though it’s a key part of this saga. Look no further than the president’s offer to make the wall out of steel instead of concrete.
The biased media have also failed to ask the Democrats to articulate their own position on border security. As usual, those on the left have been given a free pass to attack President Trump’s plan while offering nothing of substance about their own. This double standard is shameful; the American people are tired of the liberal media colluding with the Democrats to further their shared political goals.
Schumer and Pelosi view their opposition to a border wall as a winning political issue for their side. President Trump doesn’t view the illegal immigration crisis through a political prism; he views it as a matter of national security. He’s going to do what he has to do to keep our country safe.
Schumer and Pelosi hate President Trump more than they love their country and the people they claim to protect. All you have to do is look at their refusal to support a deal for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) young people in exchange for wall funding.
The Supreme Court could hear the DACA case this spring and decide on it in June. If the high court takes up the case, there’s a good chance the justices will conclude that the Trump administration had the right to rescind this unlawful and unwise Obama program.
If the Supreme Court strikes down the DACA program, the Democrats’ bargaining power on the issue will be severely weakened – something Schumer and Pelosi are keenly aware of.
Schumer and Pelosi's response to the president Tuesday night made it clear that Democrats are in denial about the crisis on our border. They proposed kicking the can down the road once again and are choosing to play politics as usual.
President Trump, on the other hand, wants to break the failed status quo in Washington and solve this problem once and for all. This is what courageous presidential leadership looks like.
Thank you, President Trump, for standing tall and doing the right thing. Polling shows, the American people are with you!
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