Washington, Jan. 26 (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Friday asserted he has not compromised on constructing a wall along the Mexico border even as he agreed to end the partial government shutdown for three weeks.
"I wish people would read or listen to my words on the Border Wall. This was in no way a concession," Trump said in a tweet, hours after he announced a deal with the Democrats to temporarily open the government till February 15 without getting the USD 5.7 billion that he had demanded from the Congress to build the wall.
"It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, it's off to the races!" Trump explained in his tweet.
The longest-ever shutdown, lasting more than 30 days, had paralysed the functioning of several key departments of the government. It also created a humanitarian crisis as some 800,000 federal employees did not receive their paychecks for a month.
In his Rose Garden speech at the White House, Trump threatened to impose national emergency after February 15 if the Congress did not give him USD 5.7 billion to construct a wall along the US Mexico border, which he argued is a national security need to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and smuggling of massive drugs into the US.
"Let me be very clear: We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier. If we don't get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15th, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency. We will have great security," Trump said.
