President Trump argued during his prime-time speech Tuesday that Democrats needed to back funding for his long-promised wall — but stopped short of declaring a national emergency over what he has called the “crisis” at the Mexican border.
“To every citizen, call Congress, and tell them to finally, after all of these decades, secure our border. This is a choice between right and wrong, justice and injustice. This is about whether we fulfill our sacred duty to the American citizens we serve,” a somber commander in chief said in his first Oval Office address.
He added, “How much more American blood must we shed before Congress does its job?”
He repeated many of his arguments about why the wall was essential to Americans’ security, painting a dark portrait of conditions at the border and the results of illegal immigration.
“I have met with dozens of families whose loved ones were stolen by illegal immigrants. I have held the hands of the mothers and embraced the grief stricken fathers. So sad, so terrible. I will never forget the pain in their eyes, the tremble in their voices, and the sadness gripping their souls,” he said.
Trump said he wanted to fulfill a request from Homeland Security officials for “cutting edge technology for detecting drugs, weapons and illegal contraband,” and that he also wanted more Border Patrol agents and immigration judges to handle the backlog of asylum seekers awaiting hearings.
But a wall — which he confirmed would be made of steel, as he had suggested in recent weeks — was the only real solution. He also never mentioned in the 9-minute speech the possibility of declaring a national emergency to build the wall without congressional approval, which had been floated in recent days.
“When I took the oath of office, I swore to protect our country, and that is what I will always do. So help me God,” he said, concluding his roughly 10-minute remarks.
The president has repeatedly demanded that Congress cough up $5.6 billion for the wall, and said he would veto any spending bills that don’t include wall funding.
Trump also said he had invited Congressional leaders to the White House on Wednesday for further discussions, saying the standoff could be resolved in “45 minutes.”
The Democratic-controlled House has offered bills that would fund all of the closed departments until Sept. 30, and Homeland Security until Feb. 8 so the two sides can keep talking.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has largely stayed out of the fray after Trump rejected Senate bills that were nearly identical to the House package, saying that Democrats and Trump have to reach an agreement before he’ll bring a bill to the Senate floor.
He later tweeted out thanks to people online who complemented him for the speech. “Thank you for soooo many nice comments regarding my Oval Office speech. A very interesting experience!” he tweeted.