House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on Thursday morning there will not be any funds for a border wall as lawmakers negotiate the issue to avert another partial government shutdown.
The shutdown was well into a record number of days when it finally ended on January 25.
President Donald Trump signed a spending bill that reopened the government for another three weeks to give both sides time to negotiate a deal on border security. The conference committee to negotiate that deal first met Wednesday.
“There’s not going be any wall money in the legislation,” Pelosi told reporters during a press conference.
“However, if they have some suggestions about certain localities where technology, some infrastructure, as I’ve said, about the ports of entry, they might need some ports of entry, we might need some roads — that’s part of the negotiation.”
Related: White House Fights for Border Security with Possible New Shutdown Ahead
Pelosi was responding to a question about whether she was committed to allowing a floor vote on whatever bill the conference committee comes up with. Pelosi said that she would, of course, bring up the bill if the group comes to a bipartisan consensus.
But then she was pushed on whether that applies to a deal that includes border security.
Trump himself said Thursday morning during his own press conference that the country must “put up a physical barrier … our country is going to be a very unsafe place” if the wall is not put up on the southern border.
Trump said late last year that he would not sign any more spending bills that don’t include $5.7 billion for the border security wall.
Pelosi — along with other party leaders — has resisted providing any funding for the wall. The stalemate led both sides to cause the government shutdown on December 22.
Trump is still standing by his border wall promise despite relenting on his veto threat. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders reaffirmed that border security is still a top priority soon after the shutdown ended. She said the president only reopened the government because Democrats have signaled a willingness to reach a real deal.
The government is reopened for now, but another shutdown could be right around the corner. The House and Senate formed the conference committee with the goal of reaching a deal on border security before the next shutdown deadline of February 15. Trump gave some indications during the shutdown on what he’d like to see in a deal.
Related: Trump Still Not Willing to Cave on Border Wall Amid Longest Shutdown
Trump stressed the importance of having a border wall throughout the earlier shutdown. He argued the wall is critical to deterring illegal drugs and criminal gangs during his visit to the border back on January 10. He has made similar arguments during press conferences during the shutdown as well. He even dedicated his first Oval Office address to the issue.
The government shutdown put increased strains on some people the longer it went on. Many federal workers fell behind on bills, groceries and other basic payments after missing two paychecks.
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