Discussions between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats to end the US' partial government shutdown has come to a standstill after the president was refused funds for his planned border wall. Meanwhile, Americans continue to bear the brunt.
Eight hundred thousand American federal employees are still bearing the brunt of no work or pay as the country grapples with its third week of the government's partial shutdown.
California based Financial Advisor Reweti Wiki says "For everyday Americans, we're starting to see signs of the shutdown but there's no dramatic impact day-to-day but as it drags on it will get worse.”
It seems there'll be no resolution any time soon after talks between the President and congressional Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi ended abruptly today when Pelosi and Schumer refused funds for the $5.7b project.
Trump took to Twitter calling the meeting a 'total waste of time'.
"Neither side has any incentive to give any ground on the situation,” says Wiki.
“Democrats are newly in power, newly in Congress. They have no reason to give up their political gains and they feel they have the mandate from the people.”
”Trump is beholden to his political base and this is the one thing that he campaigned on and he was very explicit when he said ‘I’d be happy to shut down the government for months or years before I get a border wall.’"
On Wednesday Trump delivered his first prime-time speech in the Oval Office attempting to convince Americans why they needed it.
"All Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages. Among those hardest hit are African Americans and Hispanic Americans."
"Our Southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, including meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl."
Wiki says “Presidents use a speech from the oval office to unify the country, think about 911; terrorist attack, unify the country. National disasters; hurricane Katrina. What a president typically doesn't do is go on and defend a policy position that is among mainstream Americans very unpopular or certainly not as urgent as he thinks it is."
Wiki says whilst a deadlocked government is of no major concern now, fears will arise if and when global markets turn on the US.