President Trump is holding firm on his demand for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border but says the barrier will now be constructed of steel instead of concrete as a possible compromise.
He wrote in a tweet following a meeting between Vice President Mike Pence and congressional aides at Camp David on Sunday that “we are now planning a Steel Barrier rather than concrete.”
He added that "it is both stronger & less obtrusive."
"Good solution, and made in the U.S.A.,” said Trump.
Reuters reports that during the Sunday meeting Democrats pushed to reopen the government without funding for the border wall but Vice President Pence flatly denied the request, as Trump has said that was not a possibility.
"[A] Democratic aide familiar with the meeting said Democrats urged the White House to pass measures to reopen the government without wall funding and Pence said Trump would not do that," writes Reuters. "The aide said no progress was made and no further meetings of the group were scheduled."
The talks came after a meeting on Friday between President Trump and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer which ended in a stalemate.
Trump said during a press conference on Friday that he has considered declaring a national emergency in order to build the wall without Congress’s approval, as MRCTV reported.
He has also said he is prepared to keep the government partially shut down for "as long as it takes."
The partial government shutdown is going into its third week with no sure end in sight, as Democratic leaders refuse to budge on the president’s funding request.