House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi is willing to give “nothing for the wall,” she said in an interview clip that was tweeted on Wednesday – the 12th day of the government shutdown and the eve of the Democratic-majority 116th Congress’ swearing in.
Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other congressional Democrats have rejected President Donald Trump’s calls for $5 billion of funding for a wall on the southern border.
“Are you willing to come up and give him some of this money for the wall?” NBC’s Savannah Guthrie asked Pelosi in an interview slated to air in full Thursday.
“No, no. Nothing for the wall,” Pelosi replied. “We’re talking about border security.”
“We can go through this all back and forth – no,” Pelosi added. “How many more times can we say no? Nothing for the wall.”
Trump suggested Tuesday that the shutdown would make for a less than ideal start for Pelosi, the likely incoming Speaker of the House.
“Border Security and the Wall ‘thing’ and Shutdown is not where Nancy Pelosi wanted to start her tenure as Speaker! Let’s make a deal?” he tweeted.
Pelosi replied later that day, blaming Trump for the “irresponsible” shutdown.
”.@realDonaldTrump has given Democrats a great opportunity to show how we will govern responsibly & quickly pass our plan to end the irresponsible #TrumpShutdown,” she tweeted. “Just the first sign of things to come in our new Democratic Majority committed to working #ForThePeople.”
