by Deng Xianlai, Sun Ding
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump claimed there was a "growing humanitarian crisis" on the U.S. border with Mexico in a televised speech Tuesday night amid a partisan fight over his proposed border wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.
Almost immediately after Trump wrapped up his address to the nation, congressional democratic leaders responded with a similarly harsh-worded rebuttal, which was also aired on TV.
The tug-of-war under spotlight marked a further escalation of partisan politics that has already deprived hundreds of thousands of federal employees of their pay-checks in a partial government shutdown that has stretched into its 18th day.
BORDER "CRISIS"
In his first national address from the Oval Office since assuming presidency, Trump described the situation on the southern border as "a crisis of the heart, a crisis of the soul," making his case that a "steel barrier" is "absolutely critical for border security."
The president's remarks came amid his contentious fight with Democratic lawmakers in Congress over more than 5 billion U.S. dollars he demanded for erecting the barrier to keep out illegal migrants and drug traffickers.
The dispute left a lapse in congressional appropriations for nine cabinet-level departments and other federal agencies unresolved, triggering a partial government shutdown that has now become the second longest in U.S. history.
In his speech, Trump laid out a number of unchecked examples to bolster what he said was a "tremendous problem" on the border: harm inflicted on children, sexual assaults against women, drugs pouring into the United States. His opponents have said his argument is an exaggeration of reality.
The Democrats have characterized Trump's wall funding request as "an immorality." Trump rebutted that accusation in his speech by saying "the only thing that is immoral is the politicians to do nothing and continue to allow more innocent people to be so horribly victimized."
On the shutdown, Trump said: "The federal government remains shut down for one reason and one reason only: because Democrats will not fund border security."
In fact, House Democrats passed two separate bills on Jan. 3 aimed at resuming the function of the federal offices that have been paralyzed and one of the bills offered 1.3 billion U.S. dollars for border security, including physical barriers and technology along the U.S. southern border. But the Republican-controlled Senate refused to take them up.
"My administration is doing everything in our power to help those impacted by the situation. But the only solution is for Democrats to pass a spending bill that defends our borders and re-opens the government," Trump said.
"MANUFACTURED CRISIS"
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer jointly responded to Trump's speech immediately after its conclusion, accusing the president of "manufacturing a crisis" and urging him to re-open the government.
Schumer said Trump "just used the backdrop of the Oval Office to manufacture a crisis, stoke fear and divert attention from the turmoil in his administration."
He said Democrats agree with the president that border security has to be strengthened, but "sharply disagree with the president about the most effective way to do it."
Pelosi said the president resorted to misinformation and "even malice" to disseminate his message during the shutdown.
"President Trump must stop holding the American people hostage, must stop manufacturing a crisis, and must reopen the government," she said.
"The President has chosen fear. We want to start with the facts," the congresswoman added.
Schumer concluded the pairs' statement by reiterating that re-opening the government comes first, then the Democrats are willing to seek cross-aisle consensus on border security.
"So our suggestion is a simple one: Mr. President: re-open the government and we can work to resolve our differences over border security. But end this shutdown now," he said.
Trump said he has invited congressional leaders to the White House for a discussion Wednesday, boasting that the stalemate can be solved "in a 45-minute meeting."
EXECUTIVE POWER
The president has over the past few days threatened to use his executive power to declare a national emergency to tap into the Department of Defense money for the barrier. Yet he did not mention such an intention during his Oval Office speech.
"The president has broad leeway to declare a national emergency and take unilateral action, but there will be legal challenges as to whether there is an actual crisis," Darrell West, senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, told Xinhua in an interview.
Over the weekend, Pelosi announced the Democrats' strategy to re-open the government by passing individual bills to fund the affected agencies, starting with the Department of the Treasury's Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to ensure that tax payers get their tax refunds.
"The shutdown will end when Republicans start voting to approve budgets for individual agencies," West said. "Since virtually all Democrats are willing to do that, it would take only a handful of GOP members to end the stalemate."
Viewing the Democrats' decision as a way to encourage congressional Republicans to defect, the White House said it will act on its own to pay the refunds.
Russell Vought, acting director of the White House budget office, said there is an "indefinite appropriation" for the refunds, which will go out as normal during the shutdown.
The IRS said Monday it will call back its furloughed employees to process the refund. Tax experts said the recall carries legal risks.
(Mathew Rusling in Washington also contributed to the report)
