By Meletus EZE
U.S. President, Donald Trump, on Monday slammed Democrats for not negotiating to end the partial government shutdown, saying he was in no hurry to declare a national emergency.
The shutdown entered 24th day with the two sides still far apart on the issue of border security.
Trump has stuck to his demand for 5.7 billion dollars to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, which he said was needed to control crime, illegal immigration and human trafficking.
“The southern border has been horrible for decades,” Trump said on Monday before leaving Washington for a speech to a farmers’ organisation in New Orleans.
“This should be the easiest deal,” he said, adding that calling a national emergency as he threatened last week, would be “too simple”, preferring to negotiate.
Democrats have refused to fund a border wall, saying it would be ineffective and a waste of tax dollars.
Since taking control of the US House of Representatives earlier this month, they have used their power to block it.
Democrats have been willing to pass funding bills to reopen the government while negotiations about border security take place, but Trump has rejected that, including a similar suggestion by Sen. Lindsey Graham at the weekend.
Trump opposes any delay in solving the border security question.
The president also criticized Democrats for leaving Washington while he spent the weekend at the White House willing to hold talks.
He had said that some Democrats went to hurricane-affected Puerto Rico.
