Pelosi, Schumer to refuse Trump's border wall demand, raising specter of government shutdown: sources

Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer won’t cave to President Trump’s long-held demand for a border wall when they meet with him at the White House on Tuesday, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

Pelosi (D-Calif.), who’s vying to become the next House speaker, and Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Senate minority leader, plan to make it clear to Trump during the Oval Office sit-down that they are willing to earmark between $1.3 and $1.6 billion for border security-related measures but won’t allot any funding for the construction of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, a source involved in the negotiations said.

“Both leaders will only be bringing to the table what their members are already for: some funding for long-passed and long-established border security that has nothing to do with a wall,” the source told the Daily News.

The Democratic opposition is likely to rile Trump, who has demanded Congress allot at least $5 billion for his wall ahead of a Dec. 21 spending deadline. Trump has threatened to veto any bill that falls short of his demand, which would result in a partial government shutdown.

The source said Trump, not Democrats, will be to blame if a shutdown ensues.

“Both the Senate and the House have a deal that can pass,” the source said, referencing a bill with bipartisan support that includes $1.6 billion border security component. “The question is what the President will sign.”

A White House spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment.