US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters following a meeting with congressional leadership on the ongoing partial government shutdown in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, US, January 4, 2019.
President Donald Trump said on Friday he could use emergency powers to build a wall on the US-Mexico border without Congress' approval, threatening to bypass Democratic lawmakers emboldened by their recent takeover of the House of Representatives.
A showdown between Trump and Congressional Democrats over funding for his wall project has led to a two-week government shutdown. Trump says he will not support a bill to fully fund the government until he secures the money for the wall.
Asked whether he had considered declaring a national emergency to build the wall, Trump said: "Yes, I have. ... We can do it. I haven't done it. I may do it ... But we can call a national emergency and build it very quickly."
The comments come just a day after Democrats, led by Nancy Pelosi, took charge of the House, ushering in an era of divided government two years into Trump's term.
In sometimes combative talks on Friday, Trump, Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer failed to strike a deal to end the partial shutdown as they fought over Trump's request for $5 billion to fund the wall.
The US Constitution assigns Congress the power over funding the federal government, so Trump would likely face legal challenges if he tried to bypass Congress on financing the wall.
He dismissed those concerns in a news briefing at the White House.
"We can call a national emergency because of the security of our country, absolutely," he said. Asked if declaring a national emergency was a threat hanging over Democrats, Trump said, "I'd never threatened anybody, but I am allowed to do that, yes."
Repercussions
The partial shutdown is straining the country's immigration system, worsening backlogs in courts and complicating hiring for employers.
Federal agencies such as the Justice Department, Commerce Department and departments of Agriculture, Labor, Interior and Treasury have been hit by the shutdown.
House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal, a Democrat, asked the Internal Revenue Service in a letter on Friday to explain the possible effects of the shutdown on the upcoming tax filing season for millions of Americans.
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