President Trump Donald John TrumpAmazon's European workers go on strike for Black Friday GOP makes inroads with Hispanics in Florida Romney to host PAC fundraiser: report MORE in an early-morning tweet the day after Thanksgiving demanded funding for a wall at the southern border as part of a "major Border Security package." 
 
 "Republicans and Democrats MUST come together, finally, with a major Border Security package, which will include funding for the Wall," Trump wrote from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. 
 
 Republicans and Democrats MUST come together, finally, with a major Border Security package, which will include funding for the Wall. After 40 years of talk, it is finally time for action. Fix the Border, for once and for all, NOW! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 23, 2018 
 
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 Trump has kept the door open to a potential government shutdown if an upcoming deal to fund parts of the government does not include funding for a border wall. Congress has until Dec. 7 to fund the rest of the government after lawmakers punted on seven of the 12 individual funding bills before the end-of-the-fiscal-year deadline. 
 
 Trump over the summer had struck a less bipartisan tone as he told Republican lawmakers to "stop wasting their time" trying to work with Democrats on immigration until they took back more seats in the House and Senate. 
 
 But the GOP lost the House in this month's midterm elections, and liberal lawmakers are vehemently opposed to funding Trump's long-promised border wall. 
 
 Trump in another tweet touted "bipartisan" possibilities for his other legislative priority, criminal justice reform. 
 
 The criminal justice reform bill that Trump has been touting has caused divisions within the GOP. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told the president last week that he did not believe there would be enough floor time to pass the measure in the lame-duck session. ||||| While President Donald Trump backtracked on Friday to end a controversial five week partial government shutdown, Congressional leaders kick started work on a border security funding agreement, even as the White House threatened to use a national emergency declaration if no border wall money is approved by a February 15 funding deadline. “We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier,” the President said Friday in remarks from the White House Rose Garden, as he announced the deal to fund the government for three weeks. “If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15th, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency,” the President added. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders emphasized that option in a tweet posted later on Friday night, sending a clear signal that if House-Senate negotiators don’t give the President money for a border wall, then he will likely act to declare a national emergency – and try to move money around in the federal budget to fund the wall unilaterally. In 21 days President @realDonaldTrump is moving forward building the wall with or without the Democrats. The only outstanding question is whether the Democrats want something or nothing https://t.co/dMaDfBOIuT — Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 26, 2019 Some more conservative GOP voices in the Congress seemed ready to sign on to that option. “If Democrats refuse to work with us to tackle this national priority over the next few weeks, President Trump will do what is necessary to protect America,” said Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), a key Senate ally of the President. “Compromise is important, but not required, to secure our border and protect American families,” added Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), maybe the closest Trump ally in the House. The decision by Mr. Trump to allow the government to be funded capped five weeks of turmoil for 800,000 federal workers, as they missed a second paycheck on Friday, and will likely have to wait well into next week to receive their back pay. After watching some of the news coverage about his latest moves, President Trump did not seem pleased. “This in no way was a concession,” the President tweeted Friday night, even as he did what Democrats wanted. I wish people would read or listen to my words on the Border Wall. This was in no way a concession. It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, it’s off to the races! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2019 The statements of the President and the White House presented negotiators with an ultimatum of sorts, even before they began their work on border security funding. “The President has agreed to our request to open the government and then debate border security,” said Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer, as President Trump agreed to do exactly what Democrats had been calling for as a way to end a 35 day partial government shutdown. “I hope over the next three weeks we can bridge our differences with a common goal to protect our country and end the humanitarian crisis, while keeping government open,” said Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA), one of the House GOP negotiators. Many Democrats alternated between mocking Mr. Trump and condemning his actions, arguing he had needlessly put thousands of federal workers through financial stress and strain with the shutdown – only to finally back off his demand that the government would not be funded until Congress approved money for his border wall. 35 days shut down, 2 paychecks missed for 800,000 federal employees, and countless other hardships and national security threats… and the President has just agreed to an offer he could have accepted back in December. — Rep. Brendan Boyle (@CongBoyle) January 25, 2019 “No one should applaud his recent actions – he created the crisis,” said Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA). “Americans don’t care whether or not you call your speech a concession,” said Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA). “No President should ever threaten to hurt, or actually hurt, Americans as a negotiating tactic.” “Holding federal employees’ livelihoods hostage in order to get Congress to meet an unreasonable border policy demand was always a bad idea,” said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). More moderate Republicans also said the shutdown should not have been an option for the President. “Ultimately, this shutdown never should have happened,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
– The AP reports that President Trump hit the links on his Florida golf course the day after Thanksgiving, but before he did, he rehashed a topic that's long been on his mind, with seeming impatience. "Republicans and Democrats MUST come together, finally, with a major Border Security package, which will include funding for the Wall," he tweeted, referring to the border barrier he wants erected between the US and Mexico. "After 40 years of talk, it is finally time for action. Fix the Border, for once and for all, NOW!" The Hill notes there's a Dec. 7 deadline Congress must meet to fund the remaining parts of government that are still not funded, and Trump has said he'd be OK with shutting down the government if the wall isn't included in any upcoming funding packages. "Could there be a shutdown? There certainly could, and it will be about border security, of which the wall is a part," the president told reporters Thursday, per Reuters, which notes Democrats, who just gained control of the House in the midterms, may now be less amenable to giving in to Trump on this matter. (Trump also threatened he could shut down "the whole border" if he had to.)