There is no stopping U.S. President Donald Trump from building a wall on the US-Mexico border during his term, with various media quoting him as saying that he will do "whatever it takes" to get it done.
He made this comment during a recent trip to Iraq for the holidays to wish the troops on the ground a Merry Christmas and to thank them for their service. According to Politico, Trump said that the wall is necessary for the safety of the country.
The statement came on the fifth day of the partial national government shutdown, which saw many establishments close because Congress had been unable to arrive at an agreement on a funding deal for Trump's proposed wall. Senate Democrats had rejected the proposal and the President had been refusing to sign any bill that did not involve money set aside for creating that border wall.
When reporters asked when the government will reopen, Trump only said that he and his team will do whatever it takes to get the discussion back up and the wall built. He was also quoted as saying that there are terrorists from the southern border, though there has yet to be concrete proof that this is so. Congressional leaders from either side feel that the stalemate could extend up to the middle of January if no deal is made soon.
The House is expected to meet Thursday in a pro forma session, which means that while there will be discussions, no votes will be held. This will be the last leg of the 115th Congress before new leadership comes in effective January 3. According to the outgoing speaker Paul Ryan's spokesperson, AshLee Strong, the House remains bent on passing a plan that will get the Senate's approval and that the president will sign. She also commented that Senate Democrats are currently in talks with the White House and that whatever the Senate decides will surely be followed by the House.
