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| End of Government Shutdown May Depend on the Definition of ‘Wall’ | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| WASHINGTON — With a partial government shutdown stretching past Day 5, the impasse over funding a wall at the southwestern border has highlighted the debate over effective border security, with a breakthrough possibly hinging on a semantic argument: What is a wall? | WASHINGTON — With a partial government shutdown stretching past Day 5, the impasse over funding a wall at the southwestern border has highlighted the debate over effective border security, with a breakthrough possibly hinging on a semantic argument: What is a wall? |
| Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill on Thursday to resume negotiations over either a stopgap spending bill to reopen nine federal departments and several government agencies or broader measures to fund the government through September. But the White House and Democrats remain at odds over the $5 billion that President Trump is demanding for a wall, his signature campaign promise. | Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill on Thursday to resume negotiations over either a stopgap spending bill to reopen nine federal departments and several government agencies or broader measures to fund the government through September. But the White House and Democrats remain at odds over the $5 billion that President Trump is demanding for a wall, his signature campaign promise. |
| Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the majority whip, told House members on Wednesday that no votes were expected on Thursday. That signaled that the shutdown would almost certainly stretch through the weekend — and probably into the new year. More than likely, it will fall to House Democrats to pass legislation reopening the government when they take control on Jan. 3. | Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the majority whip, told House members on Wednesday that no votes were expected on Thursday. That signaled that the shutdown would almost certainly stretch through the weekend — and probably into the new year. More than likely, it will fall to House Democrats to pass legislation reopening the government when they take control on Jan. 3. |
| The president told reporters on Wednesday that he would do “whatever it takes” to ensure funding was provided for the wall he once bragged Mexico would pay for. | The president told reporters on Wednesday that he would do “whatever it takes” to ensure funding was provided for the wall he once bragged Mexico would pay for. |
| “We need a wall,” Mr. Trump said during a visit to American troops in Iraq. “We need safety for our country. Even from this standpoint.” | “We need a wall,” Mr. Trump said during a visit to American troops in Iraq. “We need safety for our country. Even from this standpoint.” |
| Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader who is expected to be elected speaker next week, told USA Today: “He says, ‘We’re going to build a wall with cement, and Mexico’s going to pay for it’ while he’s already backed off of the cement. Now he’s down to, I think, a beaded curtain or something. I’m not sure where he is.” | Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader who is expected to be elected speaker next week, told USA Today: “He says, ‘We’re going to build a wall with cement, and Mexico’s going to pay for it’ while he’s already backed off of the cement. Now he’s down to, I think, a beaded curtain or something. I’m not sure where he is.” |
| Democrats say they have little reason to negotiate. The administration has spent only 6 percent of the $1.7 billion allocated during the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years for physical barriers on the border, they said. About $1.3 billion was designated in 2018 for different types of fencing in areas that would have covered about 96 miles, but rising costs have shaved off 12 miles. | Democrats say they have little reason to negotiate. The administration has spent only 6 percent of the $1.7 billion allocated during the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years for physical barriers on the border, they said. About $1.3 billion was designated in 2018 for different types of fencing in areas that would have covered about 96 miles, but rising costs have shaved off 12 miles. |
| With so little spent, Democrats argue, Congress has no business more than doubling this year’s allocation. But a Republican aide said that all but $70 million of the money allocated in 2018 had been committed to border security projects. | With so little spent, Democrats argue, Congress has no business more than doubling this year’s allocation. But a Republican aide said that all but $70 million of the money allocated in 2018 had been committed to border security projects. |
| Mr. Trump and his conservative allies are trying to paint their opponents as unwilling to invest in border security, while Democrats are working to draw a distinction between the current showdown and past border fights, when Congress approved billions of dollars in funding for hundreds of miles of fencing, barriers, drones and other measures to impede illegal immigration. | Mr. Trump and his conservative allies are trying to paint their opponents as unwilling to invest in border security, while Democrats are working to draw a distinction between the current showdown and past border fights, when Congress approved billions of dollars in funding for hundreds of miles of fencing, barriers, drones and other measures to impede illegal immigration. |
| A wall “would be spending an enormous amount of money that would not achieve the taxpayers’ goal,” said Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and one of eight senators who negotiated a bipartisan immigration overhaul that passed the Senate in 2013. | A wall “would be spending an enormous amount of money that would not achieve the taxpayers’ goal,” said Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and one of eight senators who negotiated a bipartisan immigration overhaul that passed the Senate in 2013. |
| “There is not a one-size-fits-all solution — a wall, slats, whatever — and nobody who has ever looked at this question has said that that is the solution,” he added. | “There is not a one-size-fits-all solution — a wall, slats, whatever — and nobody who has ever looked at this question has said that that is the solution,” he added. |
| While a final decision has not been made, Ms. Pelosi will most likely seek a swift vote on the legislation the House spurned before funding lapsed: the Senate’s stopgap spending bill would provide funding through Feb. 8, according to a House Democratic aide familiar with the negotiations. | While a final decision has not been made, Ms. Pelosi will most likely seek a swift vote on the legislation the House spurned before funding lapsed: the Senate’s stopgap spending bill would provide funding through Feb. 8, according to a House Democratic aide familiar with the negotiations. |
| Because next month will herald a new Congress, the Senate will have to pass it again. And there is no guarantee that Mr. Trump will sign it. | Because next month will herald a new Congress, the Senate will have to pass it again. And there is no guarantee that Mr. Trump will sign it. |
| “We are still open to discussion,” said Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. “I would say that the wall is the problem. Most people we talk to say the wall is a political answer to a problem that really requires a thoughtful, a more pragmatic response.” | “We are still open to discussion,” said Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. “I would say that the wall is the problem. Most people we talk to say the wall is a political answer to a problem that really requires a thoughtful, a more pragmatic response.” |
| Whether Mr. Trump signs the bill might depend on whether he and Democrats can agree to disagree on what a border barrier is called. Democrats have accepted fencing in the past. Mr. Trump has taken to intermittently calling his barrier a wall or “aesthetically pleasing steel slats.” | Whether Mr. Trump signs the bill might depend on whether he and Democrats can agree to disagree on what a border barrier is called. Democrats have accepted fencing in the past. Mr. Trump has taken to intermittently calling his barrier a wall or “aesthetically pleasing steel slats.” |
| In Iraq, he told reporters he was planning on “going to the wall” on the Mexican border next year for a “ground breaking.” He said he planned to visit the border before his State of the Union address, usually given toward the end of January. | In Iraq, he told reporters he was planning on “going to the wall” on the Mexican border next year for a “ground breaking.” He said he planned to visit the border before his State of the Union address, usually given toward the end of January. |
| It was one of a series of inscrutable statements from the president since parts of the government closed, furloughing 380,000 federal workers and forcing over 420,000 to work without pay. On Monday, he tweeted that he had signed a contract to build 115 miles of border wall in Texas, an odd pronouncement given that the Homeland Security Department ran out of money at midnight on Dec. 21. The department referred questions to the White House, which has yet to offer an explanation. | It was one of a series of inscrutable statements from the president since parts of the government closed, furloughing 380,000 federal workers and forcing over 420,000 to work without pay. On Monday, he tweeted that he had signed a contract to build 115 miles of border wall in Texas, an odd pronouncement given that the Homeland Security Department ran out of money at midnight on Dec. 21. The department referred questions to the White House, which has yet to offer an explanation. |
| As the impasse continues, the president and other conservatives have pointed to previous votes — including the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and the Senate bill that Mr. Menendez helped negotiate — as evidence that Democratic objections are driven by spite for the president, not opposition to the policy itself. | As the impasse continues, the president and other conservatives have pointed to previous votes — including the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and the Senate bill that Mr. Menendez helped negotiate — as evidence that Democratic objections are driven by spite for the president, not opposition to the policy itself. |
| “Chuck Schumer and Senate Dems should support more border security — just like they have in the past,” Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican Party, tweeted on Wednesday. “In 2013, every single Senate Democrat supported $46 BILLION, which included 700 miles of barrier with Mexico.” | “Chuck Schumer and Senate Dems should support more border security — just like they have in the past,” Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican Party, tweeted on Wednesday. “In 2013, every single Senate Democrat supported $46 BILLION, which included 700 miles of barrier with Mexico.” |
| The existing fence, which Mr. Trump has started to claim was built under his administration, was actually begun under President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and has steadily grown in fragments, said Wayne Cornelius, an immigration expert at the University of California, San Diego. Experts continue to question its effectiveness, even as it expands. | The existing fence, which Mr. Trump has started to claim was built under his administration, was actually begun under President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and has steadily grown in fragments, said Wayne Cornelius, an immigration expert at the University of California, San Diego. Experts continue to question its effectiveness, even as it expands. |
| “The fact remains that border enforcement — especially the construction of physical barriers — has never kept determined migrants out of the country,” Mr. Cornelius said in an email, describing the current system as an “elaborate obstacle course” for migrants seeking to enter the country illegally. | “The fact remains that border enforcement — especially the construction of physical barriers — has never kept determined migrants out of the country,” Mr. Cornelius said in an email, describing the current system as an “elaborate obstacle course” for migrants seeking to enter the country illegally. |
| The $1.3 billion allocated for border security funding in the 2018 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, successfully passed the Senate with bipartisan support — and the president acquiesced angrily to signing it into law. That money, however, can be used only to replicate or improve existing fences on the border. | The $1.3 billion allocated for border security funding in the 2018 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, successfully passed the Senate with bipartisan support — and the president acquiesced angrily to signing it into law. That money, however, can be used only to replicate or improve existing fences on the border. |
| The spending bill that passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee with bipartisan support this year offered similar restrictions on the $1.6 billion the Trump administration formally requested. And Democrats are determined to maintain those restrictions once they take control of the House. | The spending bill that passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee with bipartisan support this year offered similar restrictions on the $1.6 billion the Trump administration formally requested. And Democrats are determined to maintain those restrictions once they take control of the House. |
| A senior Democratic aide said it was impossible to say whether the steel slats Mr. Trump has recently talked about would qualify as the fencing detailed in the bill, given the president’s shifting descriptions of what he wants. | A senior Democratic aide said it was impossible to say whether the steel slats Mr. Trump has recently talked about would qualify as the fencing detailed in the bill, given the president’s shifting descriptions of what he wants. |
| Mr. Trump’s demand “doesn’t comply with what the professionals at homeland security said they needed to secure the border,” said Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado. “There is an absolutely massive difference. It’s as if he entered the policy debate believing what he says and not understanding how false his statements are.” | Mr. Trump’s demand “doesn’t comply with what the professionals at homeland security said they needed to secure the border,” said Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado. “There is an absolutely massive difference. It’s as if he entered the policy debate believing what he says and not understanding how false his statements are.” |
| Mr. Bennet this year helped put together the compromise that would have allocated $25 billion in wall money in exchange for offering legal residence to thousands of young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. Based on his interactions with the White House in the last year, he said he does not believe Mr. Trump actually wants a solution, merely an issue to use for political scores. | Mr. Bennet this year helped put together the compromise that would have allocated $25 billion in wall money in exchange for offering legal residence to thousands of young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. Based on his interactions with the White House in the last year, he said he does not believe Mr. Trump actually wants a solution, merely an issue to use for political scores. |
| Some Republicans have dismissed the distinction between fencing and wall and said a wall could be an improvement to barriers along portions of the border. | Some Republicans have dismissed the distinction between fencing and wall and said a wall could be an improvement to barriers along portions of the border. |
| “The hard line of the Democrats is ridiculous,” said former Representative Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican whose years on the House Appropriations Committee overlapped with a number of debates on border security. “You have to come to the table with something you want and something you’re willing to give.” | “The hard line of the Democrats is ridiculous,” said former Representative Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican whose years on the House Appropriations Committee overlapped with a number of debates on border security. “You have to come to the table with something you want and something you’re willing to give.” |
| However, Mr. Kingston added, Republicans erred in not “continuously building the case for why a wall is important.” | However, Mr. Kingston added, Republicans erred in not “continuously building the case for why a wall is important.” |
| But in places where border fencing is already in place, there is confusion over whether a concrete wall could be an enhancement. | But in places where border fencing is already in place, there is confusion over whether a concrete wall could be an enhancement. |
| For years in San Diego, most residents have referred to the barrier there as a fence. But some have taken to calling it a wall, in a nod to the president’s campaign messaging and the barrier’s three reinforced layers of sheet metal, concrete columns and metal fence edged by razor wire. | For years in San Diego, most residents have referred to the barrier there as a fence. But some have taken to calling it a wall, in a nod to the president’s campaign messaging and the barrier’s three reinforced layers of sheet metal, concrete columns and metal fence edged by razor wire. |
| “I’m not sure what more they could plan to do here; we have a pretty extensive border wall here already that dates back to Bush, when they raised the height and added more layers,” said Serge Dedina, the mayor of Imperial Beach, who has spent his whole life on the border. “It has significantly changed already. As always with the border, it has nothing to do with reality. We’re the safest beach city in San Diego County.” | “I’m not sure what more they could plan to do here; we have a pretty extensive border wall here already that dates back to Bush, when they raised the height and added more layers,” said Serge Dedina, the mayor of Imperial Beach, who has spent his whole life on the border. “It has significantly changed already. As always with the border, it has nothing to do with reality. We’re the safest beach city in San Diego County.” |
| Denise Moreno Ducheny, a senior policy adviser at the University of California, San Diego’s Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, condemned Mr. Trump’s vision of a border wall as “a fourth-century solution to a 20th-century problem.” | Denise Moreno Ducheny, a senior policy adviser at the University of California, San Diego’s Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, condemned Mr. Trump’s vision of a border wall as “a fourth-century solution to a 20th-century problem.” |
| “If you are going to do more things to secure the border, do it with more intelligence, more technology,” she said. “The whole idea that you are going to build a Great Wall of China between California and Mexico is just silly.” | “If you are going to do more things to secure the border, do it with more intelligence, more technology,” she said. “The whole idea that you are going to build a Great Wall of China between California and Mexico is just silly.” |
| Some activists in California have used the word “wall” to describe the fencing for years, including Enrique Morones, who leads the group Border Angels, which leaves water and other aid for those crossing through the desert. | Some activists in California have used the word “wall” to describe the fencing for years, including Enrique Morones, who leads the group Border Angels, which leaves water and other aid for those crossing through the desert. |
| “When people hear fence, they think of it as something that you have with your neighbor, not something that has led to the deaths of thousands of people,” he said, pointing to the number of migrants who have moved farther east to more treacherous terrain. | “When people hear fence, they think of it as something that you have with your neighbor, not something that has led to the deaths of thousands of people,” he said, pointing to the number of migrants who have moved farther east to more treacherous terrain. |
| “President Bush, President Obama, they all reinforced what was already there,” he added. “The only difference is they didn’t think it was a major political win for them.” | “President Bush, President Obama, they all reinforced what was already there,” he added. “The only difference is they didn’t think it was a major political win for them.” |