U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to declare a national emergency to bypass Congress so he can get funding for his wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
His comments came as he visited the southern border to bolster his case for the wall.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… the impasse continues….
That's right Mark… The standoff with the Democrats has prompted a partial government shutdown that has now dragged into a 20th day.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are on either on leave or working without pay.
President Trump arrived in Texas on Thursday after threatening to use emergency powers to bypass Congress and get his 5.7 billion dollars for the wall.
"I have the absolute right to declare a national emergency. The lawyers have so advised me. I'm not prepared to do that yet. But if I have to I will. I have no doubt about it, I will…."
Trump had been on the fence about his trip, casting doubt on whether it would change the dynamics of his talks with the opposition.
But after his national address earlier this week, his advisors reportedly urged him to make the visit in order to scale up his messaging.
His trip also comes after he abruptly walked out of negotiations with the Democrats on Wednesday.
Meanwhile soon after his arrival in Texas, President Trump tweeted he is cancelling his trip later this month to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
He blamed the Democrats for his decision, citing what he called their "intransigence" on border security.
The Democrats said they do support border security, but said there was a better way to go about it.
