President Donald J. Trump Threatens to Shutdown Federal Government If Congress Fails to Appropriate $5 Billion for U.S.-Mexico Border Wall
By: Miguel Munoz, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2018
In a meeting at the White House on Tuesday, December 11, 2018, between President Donald J. Trump, Vice-President Mike Pence, and Democratic Party leaders Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. House of Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) regarding the federal budget, President Trump threatened Schumer and Pelosi to shutdown the federal government if Congress failed to appropriate $5 Billion for development and construction of a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
President Trump stated “I will take the mantle of shutting down, and I’m going to shut it down for border security.” Trump added that “I am proud to shut down the government for border security.” Trump noted that building the border wall is part of border security, while Schumer and Pelosi noted that national border security experts have stated that building a border wall is wasteful and unnecessary for having effective border security.
President Trump stated “Yes, if we don’t get what we want, one way or the other-whether it’s through you, through a military, through anything you want to call–I will shut down the government. Absolutely.” Trump added “I am proud to shut down the government for border security….I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it….I will take the mantle of shutting down.”
Both the United States Senate and House of Representatives approved a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open and funded until December 21, 2018, which President Trump signed into law. After December 21st, Congress and President Trump need to sign another continuing resolution to keep the federal government open and funded for another extended period of time. If another continuing resolution is not signed by President Trump, the entire or parts of the federal government will be shut down due to the lack of funding approved by Trump.
Schumer and Pelosi advised President Trump that they were at the White House with him to negotiate an agreement that would fund border security but not for a border wall. Both argued that our own national border security experts have stated that the border wall along the 2,000 miles long U.S.-Mexico border is not necessary and a waste of taxpayers funds.
During his 2016 Campaign and since taking office in January 2017, President Trump has stated that he would require Mexico to pay for the construction costs of the U.S.-Mexico border wall that he wants as part of his vision of border security, estimated to be between $25-40 Billion dollars. However, Mexico’s past President Enrique Pena Nieto and newly sworn-in President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have unequivocally told President Trump that Mexico is not going to pay one cent of the border wall if the United States builds it. Thus, American taxpayers would have to pay for the Trump U.S.-Mexico border wall, causing President Trump to not fulfill his campaign promise to his supporters.
The December 21st deadline to either reach a new continuing resolution funding the United States federal government or not is fast approaching President Trump.
If President Trump shuts down the entire or parts of the federal government because he did not receive the $5 Billion funding he wants for his Trump U.S.-Mexico border wall, the American taxpayers stand to lose tens or hundreds of Billions of dollars during the period of a federal government shutdown, including Eagle Pass and Maverick County, Texas citizens and businesses.
In 2018, U.S.-Mexico trade as of October 2018 was $512.31 Billion dollars for the first 10 months of the year. A total of $222.58 Billion was U.S. Exports to Mexico while $289.73 Billion was Mexican Imports to the U.S., creating a U.S. deficit trade balance of $67.15 Billion. A total of approximately $51.231 Billion of trade per month has been done between the U.S. and Mexico in the first 10 months of 2018.
In Eagle Pass, Texas, a total of $24.96 Billion of trade passed through the Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico Port of Entry, almost $2.5 Billion per month.
In addition, the U.S. federal government would be completely or partly shutdown causing tens or hundreds of billions of dollars of losses to American taxpayers and businesses, as well as international citizens and businesses wishing to do business with or visit the United States.
Furthermore, a federal government shutdown in the middle of the December-January holiday season would be disastrous to the U.S. economy as current Christmas sales are at record rates. More billions of dollars in losses would be suffered.
Many American and foreign citizens enjoy traveling during the Christmas-New Year’s holiday season through American ports of entry such as airports, land ports like Eagle Pass, and maritime ports of entries. If American ports of entries are shut down, millions of travelers would get stranded and be unable to return home while losing billions of dollars too.
No one wins with a federal government shutdown, but rather everyone loses money while the American taxpayers will have to foot the multi-billion dollar losses to our American and global economies.
