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President Donald Trump's standoff with Democrats over funding for his proposed border wall has resulted in the longest government shutdown in US history. How has it affected American life so far?

Mr Trump insists the government will stay closed until he gets that funding, and as the shutdown enters day 34, Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have remained equally firm that there will be no congressional funding for a wall.

A quarter of the federal government has been unfunded since 22 December, leaving 800,000 employees without pay.

Here is some of the misery Washington's political gridlock is inflicting on the nation at large.

'Unprecedented' flight risks

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, who oversee airport security, have been calling in sick or quitting as the shutdown drags on, though the agency insists standards have not been compromised.

Flight traffic controllers are also feeling the effects of the shutdown, working long shifts to cope with with record low numbers of fully-certified staff to handle over 43,000 daily flights.

On Wednesday, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association the Air Line Pilots Association, and the Association of Flight Attendants released a bleak joint statement.

"We cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break. It is unprecedented."

President Sara Nelson of the flight attendant's association has also called for a general nationwide worker's strike to end the shutdown.

FBI resources at 'breaking point'

Resources at the Federal Bureau of Investigation are quickly running out, according to a new report comprised of agent stories from across the nation.

Thomas O'Connor of the FBI Agents Association said in a statement: "The resources available to support the work of FBI agents are currently stretched to the breaking point and are dwindling day by day."

The report reveals the shutdown has impacted criminal, counter-terrorism and intelligence work, delaying sensitive investigations and compromising many basic operations.

Coast Guard food shortages

As federal workers are due to miss their second paychecks of 2019, Coast Guard commandant Adm Karl Schultz said it was "unacceptable that USCG members must rely on food pantries and donations to get through day-to-day life".

"You, as members of the armed forces, should not be expected to shoulder this burden."

On Wednesday, Democratic Representative Derek Kilmer of Washington state told The Hill a food pantry for Coast Guard members in his district has already run out of food.

Around 8,500 Coast Guard civilian employees were offered a "managing your finances during a furlough" tip sheet earlier this month, including budgeting suggestions like having a garage sale or monetising hobbies.

In addition to pay, these employees are missing federal housing subsidies that help offset their expensive coastal housing, according to the Washington Post.

Government websites insecure

Security certificates for dozens of official websites have not been renewed. Affected websites include the US Department of Justice, the Court of Appeals and Nasa.

According to internet services website Netcraft, more than 80 security certificates used by .gov websites have expired.

US shutdown leaves websites insecure

Food safety fears

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended all non-essential work, causing nationwide concerns over unsafe food as most inspections have stopped.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Wednesday said the agency was working to ensure "high risk" facility checks continue.

He said about one third of the FDA's food inspections are considered high risk, looking at goods like cheese, fresh produce and seafood.

"It's not business as usual, and we are not doing all the things we would do under normal circumstances," Mr Gottlieb told NBC News.

42,000 immigration cases delayed

According to a report by Syracuse University, over 42,000 immigration hearings have been cancelled as of 11 January.

That number will go up by 20,000 cases each week, researchers estimate. The current backlog is already over 800,000.

Immigration courts have been dealing with high numbers of cases and these indefinite delays will have a "devastating impact", Judge Dana Leigh Marks told PBS.

Parks struggle to stay open

Faced with deteriorating and increasingly hazardous conditions, including waste buildup and unsafe roads, National Parks across the country are struggling to stay open during the shutdown.

With a skeleton staff unable to respond quickly to emergencies, at least seven people have died in parks since the shutdown, the Washington Post reported.

In Joshua Tree, with ranger numbers down to just eight, vandals have cut down trees and used protected lands as campsites.

On an administrative level, the parks are also facing issues: one couple told CBS News their wedding reservation at a park was abruptly cancelled "due to administration".

Hurricane prep takes a hit

Following a brutal hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been forced to delay next year's preparations.

Forecast model updates, emergency trainings, and field experiments have all been halted.

"People keep saying it doesn't matter because hurricane season is so far away - dead wrong," National Hurricane Center scientist Eric Blake tweeted.

Image Copyright @EricBlake12 @EricBlake12 Report

Image Copyright @EricBlake12 @EricBlake12Report

NYC funds to keep Statue of Liberty open

Without federal employees to keep national landmarks clean, cities have had to use their own funds.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has been using the district's local resources to keep the capital clean at a cost of $46,000 (£36,500) per week.

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo has committed to paying $65,000 a day to ensure the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island stay rubbish-free and open for tourists.

Utah town gone quiet

Across the country, small towns built around federal institutions are bracing for long-term effects thanks to the shutdown.

In Ogden, Utah, restaurants and small businesses have slashed hours after losing the patronage of thousands of federal employees in the area, the Washington Post reported.

Science setbacks

As many federally employed scientists stop working at agencies like the National Science Foundation, labs across the country are facing repercussions.

Image Copyright @jessphoenix2018 @jessphoenix2018 Report

Image Copyright @jessphoenix2018 @jessphoenix2018Report

One woman told the BBC her husband's work with cancer drug trials could see delays. "Timing can literally be life or death," she said of the trial participants.

Hundreds of Nasa staff missed presenting their work at US astronomy's biggest conference this year due to no funding.

Nasa is also unable to fix the Hubble Space Telescope, which broke this week, as key employees are furloughed.

Smithsonian shuttered

DC tourists have been shut out of all the popular Smithsonian museums since the shutdown as well as the Gallery of Art and Arboretum.

Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St Thomas told the BBC an estimated 1.2 million visitors will be turned away if the shutdown continues through January and two thirds of Smithsonian employees are furloughed.

Thanks to an earlier appropriations bill, the Capitol Building is still open.

Native tribes hurting

Native American tribes receive substantial federal funding for essential services like healthcare and food as part of a deal negotiated decades ago in exchange for Native lands.

In Michigan, a Chippewa tribe has already been forced to use their own funds to pay some $100,000 (£79,400) to keep clinics and food pantries open, the New York Times reported.

Similar stories have cropped up across the country. Some Navajo tribes in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah are trapped in their homes without access to groceries and medicine due to unploughed roads.

In Minnesota, police officers on the Boise Forte Indian Reservation are already working without pay.

Farm finance troubles

With the Department of Agriculture unfunded, farmers across the country are facing troubles applying for federal assistance.

Farmers were promised aid as President Trump's trade war with China continues, but the offices handling applications has been closed since 28 December.

Federal loan applications and information sites for farmers are also going unmaintained.

Government reports - including some supply-and-demand estimates farmers rely on - will also not be released on time, even if the shutdown ends soon.

E-verify down

Operated by the Department of Homeland Security, the E-verify programme allows employers to confirm that potential hires are able to work legally in the US.

It has been offline since 22 December, which could make it easier for illegal immigrants to get jobs if employers bypass verification.

Prison guards unhappy as inmates feast

Thanks to meals scheduled prior to the shutdown, federal inmates feasted on holiday treats like grilled steak and pies while their guards worked without pay.

"You are seeing prisoners getting steak, roast beef and Cornish hens, and you can't put that kind of food on the table for your own family," Eric Young, president of the national prison workers union, told USA Today.

Unsurprisingly, tensions are high between staff and prisoners.

"The inmates know what's going on, they know about the shutdown, and they are laughing at us," one prison chief told the paper.

Sex assault victims lose out

An organisation that helps US citizens overseas who have suffered sexual assault or domestic violence told the BBC they would close on 13 January, having run out of funds.

Pathways to Safety International's funding comes through the US Department of Justice, and that money ran out on 6 January.

Executive Director Paula Lucas told the BBC that it would cause "an emergency situation for Americans stranded abroad without critical services."

Funds almost out for federal courts

The Administrative Office of the US Courts says it has enough funding to operate until 1 February, at which point all non-essential staff at 94 federal district courts and other top courts nationwide will join the furloughed.

This could mean civil cases are suspended, and hearings and filings are rescheduled, Bloomberg reported.

Criminal cases will be prioritised, but with courts operating on minimum staffing, there could still be delays in proceedings.
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Eighteen ways the US shutdown is hurting

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President Donald Trump's standoff with Democrats over funding for his proposed border wall has resulted in the longest government shutdown in US history. How has it affected American life so far?

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President Donald Trump on Monday rejected the suggestion that he temporarily reopen government while negotiations continue on his proposed border wall, signaling no speedy resolution to the partial government shutdown now into a fourth week.

Leaving the White House for a trip to New Orleans, Trump said he had dismissed the proposal from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham to reopen for several weeks and continue dealing with Democrats over Trump's long-promised wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

"I did reject it, yes," Trump said. "I'm not interested. I want to get it solved. I don't want to just delay it."

Trump also backed further away from the idea of declaring a national emergency as an escape hatch, saying: "I'm not looking to call a national emergency. This is so simple we shouldn't have to."

As Congress returned to Washington for their second week of legislative business since House control reverted to Democrats, the shutdown hit Day 24, affecting federal workers and services with no end in sight. Trump has demanded $5.7 billion for his long-promised wall, while Democrats, who oppose the wall as both immoral and wasteful, insist Trump re-open the government before they negotiate border security.

From the White House, Trump argued that he alone was ready to negotiate, noting that a group of House and Senate Democrats were touring hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.

"A lot of the Democrats were in Puerto Rico celebrating something. I don't know, maybe they're celebrating the shutdown," Trump said.

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were not on the trip to Puerto Rico. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill tweeted Monday: "Speaker Pelosi has been in DC all weekend working from the Capitol."

Trump also targeted Pelosi and Schumer on Twitter, arguing that the shutdown "has become their, and the Democrats, fault!" But Trump weeks ago asserted that he would "own" the shutdown and polls show that he is taking most of the blame.

Trump has kept Washington on edge over whether he would resort to an emergency declaration, citing what he says is a "crisis" of drug smuggling and the trafficking of women and children at the border. The president initially sounded as though such a move was imminent, but then pulled back. He has said several times since he first mentioned the idea in public this month that he prefers a legislative solution.

A key question is how much more time is Trump willing to give lawmakers. Graham, who spoke with Trump by telephone on Sunday morning, said the legislative path "is just about shut off" and blamed intransigence by Pelosi.

The speaker's office had no immediate comment.

Democrats oppose an emergency declaration but may be powerless to block it. Some Republicans are wary, too, fearing how a future Democratic president might use that authority. Such a move, should Trump ultimately go that route, would almost certainly be challenged in the courts.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., called Graham's idea to reopen the government a "great place to start."

"I do think if we reopen the government, if the president ends this shutdown crisis, we have folks who can negotiate a responsible, modern investment in technology that will actually make us safer," Coons said.

Trump says technology is nice, but that the border can't be secured without a wall.

The White House has been laying the groundwork for an emergency declaration, which is feared by lawmakers in both parties.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said he'd "hate to see" a declaration issued because the wall wouldn't get built, presumably because of legal challenges. Democrats voted in the past for border security and should again, he said.

"I actually want to see this wall get built," Johnson said. "I want to keep pressure on Democrats to actually come to the negotiating table in good faith and fund what they have supported in the past."

Graham favors a declaration and said the time for talk is running out.

"It's the last option, not the first option, but we're pretty close to that being the only option," he said.

Graham and Coons spoke on "Fox News Sunday" and Johnson appeared on CNN's "State of the Union."

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Trump rejects suggested short-term government shutdown fix

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Leaving the White House for a trip to New Orleans, Trump said he had dismissed the proposal from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham to reopen for several weeks and continue dealing with Democrats over Trump's long-promised wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

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There Are 3 Ways the Shutdown Could End. They're All Unlikely Right Now

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These are three possible different outcomes for ending the shutdown. None seem imminent.

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 “I want to get it solved. I don’t want to just delay it. I want to get it solved.”

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 “I want to get it solved. I don’t want to just delay it. I want to get it solved.”

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"A quarter of the federal government has been unfunded since 22 December, leaving 800,000 employees without pay."

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"A quarter of the federal government has been unfunded since 22 December, leaving 800,000 employees without pay."

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I think the government shut down is going to create huge issues that will take years to recover from. I say this because everything is struggling to stay open, parks, schools lunch programs' and TSA workers, as nothing is being funded and payed for. I wonder how far this will go and just how bad things will get throughout the course of the shut down. How the president is still keeping the shut down going, even though he sees whats happening is honestly appalling. Why wasn't anyone more prepared for the shut down, as this wasn't even his first shut down. Being unprepared caused all these parks to be shut down, and funding to pay people still going to work during events like this. I feel this has to be one of the worst things the American political parties has allowed to happen to us, an they should work harder to make sure we as a nation, not as working class or so on, ever get hit this badly after a blow like this again.

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After Child Protective Services in Pocatello, Idaho, took her son away in April, Candice Cluff fought to get back on her feet and regain custody. She went into rehab for meth addiction, got sober and started a new job as a hairdresser.

Then, nearly a month ago, she got a call that she was finally off the waiting list for a Section 8 housing voucher - a subsidy that will enable her to rent a two-bedroom home, which she's required to have before she can reunite with her 2 1/2-year-old son, who has been in foster care.

But Cluff's long-awaited voucher has been on hold for weeks. First it was delayed by the record 35-day government shutdown, and now, as the federal government reopens and catches up, the timeline remains uncertain.

"This is the last thing standing in between me getting my son back," said Cluff, 30, speaking last week before the government reopened. "It really hurts knowing I'm doing all the work I possibly can, and now this is an obstacle that I have no control over."

Cluff is one of many whose hopes and plans were upended by the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, and her situation demonstrates the vulnerability of many Americans when Washington politicians get into a spending dispute - a possibility that could recur when the current temporary spending bill expires in less than three weeks.

She was among the thousands of low-income Americans across the country who were frozen out of the Section 8 voucher program during the shutdown, prohibited from accessing public subsidies to private landlords who rent to about 2.2 million families. When vouchers became available through turnover, many local housing authorities decided to stop re-issuing the vouchers to new participants because they couldn't guarantee they'd be able to pay landlords after February, according to Steve Berg, vice president for programs and policy at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, an advocacy group.

While federal workers went back to the Department of Housing and Urban Development on Monday - 95 percent of them had been furloughed during the shutdown - Congressional staffers and budget experts say that it will take time for HUD to get its affairs in order and get approval from the White House to extend funding for the Section 8 vouchers and other affordable housing programs past February.

"It's going to take a time for them to clean up the wreckage and get the money out the door," said Ellen Lurie Hoffman, federal policy director of the National Housing Trust, a nonprofit that advocates for affordable housing and owns HUD-funded rental properties. "Everyone at HUD is blowing the dust off their desks, literally."

The shutdown stopped affordable housing vouchers from being passed on to new families in Pocatello, lengthening wait times for assistance and putting a strain on local homeless shelters that are already overflowing in the dead of winter. Housing Alliance & Community Partnerships, the local housing authority, froze about 50 Section 8 vouchers that it normally would have re-issued to those on the wait list, which is more than 400 people long, including Cluff, according to Sunny Shaw, the organization's executive director.

Shaw, like other local housing officials across the country, isn't going to release the new vouchers until she receives greater assurances that HUD can and will fund the program through the end of April - especially since the federal government is only open for the next three weeks, with another potential shutdown looming in mid-February. The funding uncertainty has made it even harder to find affordable housing in Pocatello, a town of about 55,000 that's home to a large research university but has struggled in recent years with rising poverty, as well as a heroin and meth epidemic.

"I want us to be moving forward," said Shaw, who broke the news to Cluff about her frozen voucher last week. "We won't change anything we're doing right now."

When asked on Monday if HUD would now be able to extend funding for Section 8 vouchers, the department declined to answer. "We're slammed," said spokesman Brian Sullivan, who offered to reconnect "later this week or next." The White House's Office of Management and Budget did not respond to a request for comment.

In the meantime, families who have been waiting - typically for years - to enter the Section 8 voucher program remain in limbo. That includes urgent cases like Cluff's - she received expedited consideration after applying last June. "She would be getting ready to have a voucher issued, but the paperwork has been put on hold," Shaw said.

Public housing authorities administer Section 8 vouchers on behalf of HUD, and HUD made it clear during the shutdown that it could only guarantee funding for those vouchers through the end of February. That made some housing authorities reluctant to move forward with new housing contracts they might not be able to honor, and why they are waiting for HUD to commit more funding before opening up the program again.

"We don't feel like it would be fair to set landlords and tenants in a situation that could end poorly, pressuring tenants to move," said Shaw, adding that she didn't want to undermine landlords' trust in the local housing authority by shortchanging them.

The same thing is happening in York, Pennsylvania, where the local housing authority stopped re-issuing all Section 8 vouchers during the shutdown, including a handful designated for chronically homeless veterans, according to Regina Mitchell, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of York.

The shutdown froze Section 8 vouchers for more than 200 families in central Pennsylvania, and they are all still on hold until local housing officials get the green light from HUD, Mitchell said.

The delayed vouchers could continue to burden local homeless shelters and other service providers that are already overflowing. "If they're not able to help funnel qualified people into various housing programs, it will come back into the shelter," said BJ Stensland, executive director of Aid for Friends, a Pocatello homeless shelter.

Cluff is scheduled to appear in court next month and plead her case with a judge to get her son back. She's already prepared to move, with furniture and "tons of toys" on hand for her son, who loves Legos, cars and superheroes. She can't wait to spend more than a handful of hours every week with him - especially to read him his bedtime story and tuck him in, since she is prohibited from overnight visits while he is in foster care.

But she doesn't want her son to sense that anything is wrong. "I don't want him to see mommy is hurting and mommy is sad," she said last week, shortly before the shutdown ended. "But without my housing, there's no question I don't get him back."

Laura Strickler contributed.

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The shutdown is over, but the pain for low-income families lingers

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After Child Protective Services in Pocatello, Idaho, took her son away in April, Candice Cluff fought to get back on her feet and regain custody. She went into rehab for meth addiction, got sober and started a new job as a hairdresser.

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"Cluff's long-awaited voucher has been on hold for weeks. First it was delayed by the record 35-day government shutdown, and now, as the federal government reopens and catches up, the timeline remains uncertain"

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"Cluff's long-awaited voucher has been on hold for weeks. First it was delayed by the record 35-day government shutdown, and now, as the federal government reopens and catches up, the timeline remains uncertain"

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The Government shut down is over and done with, parks are being opened up, some are getting payed, but the damage has been done and people are continuing to hurt. I think this is terrible, and I wonder just how families are staying together.. I say this is because the article states " She was among the thousands of low-income Americans across the country who were frozen out of the Section 8 voucher program during the shutdown, prohibited from accessing public subsidies to private landlords who rent to about 2.2 million families". I feel absolutely heartbroken that these families are being forced to endure this, and to suffer because the president can't understand what the shut down is really doing to the people he's supposed to be protecting.

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President Donald Trump is teasing show-stopping announcements he may include in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Ideas he has publicly toyed with include the declaration of a national emergency to secure border-wall funding and the confirmation of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

Trump's goal with an emergency declaration would be to spend money on a border wall without approval from Congress, though a new poll indicates it would be an unpopular move.

In an interview that aired Sunday, Trump also said that his next meeting with Kim "is set" and that he would most likely reveal details like the date and venue on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump has been teasing bombshells that he may drop during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

Trump has publicly mulled using the speech to declare a national emergency over illegal immigration and to confirm a new summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Asked whether he would declare a national state of emergency, Trump told reporters on Friday to "listen closely" to the address.

Trump has mulled declaring an emergency as a way of getting money to build a wall along the southwestern US border without the approval of Congress.

The inability of Trump and lawmakers to agree on wall funding caused a record-breaking partial government shutdown, which stretched from late December to the end of January.
Here are the details you might miss watching Trump's State of the Union address on TV
On Friday, when asked whether people should expect him to declare a national emergency, Trump said: "I think there's a good chance that we'll have to do that. But we will at the same time be building, regardless, we're building a wall. And we're building a lot of wall. But I can do it a lot faster the other way."

He hinted that the State of the Union was where he would announce the move.

"Well, I'm saying listen closely to the State of the Union," he said. "I think you'll find it very exciting."

Trump told The New York Times last week that declaring a national emergency might be his chosen route to try to get the wall built.

"I'll continue to build the wall and we'll get the wall finished," he said. "Now whether or not I declare a national emergency - that you'll see."

He continued to call the issue an "emergency" on Sunday, when speaking on the CBS show "Face the Nation."

"It's national emergency, it's other things and you know there have been plenty national emergencies called," he said.
Trump is planning to slam abortion in his State of the Union speech, fanning the flames of the culture wars
CNN last month reported that the White House was preparing a draft national emergency declaration and had identified where it could get the money for a wall.

Such a move would appear to be unpopular. In a CBS poll published Sunday, 66% of Americans said Trump should not declare a national emergency if Congress did not fund a wall.

Trump raised the issue of the border wall again on Sunday, writing on Twitter that "Republicans must be prepared to do whatever is necessary for STRONG Border Security."

"Dems do nothing," he wrote. "If there is no Wall, there is no Security. Human Trafficking, Drugs and Criminals of all dimensions - KEEP OUT!,"

A bipartisan group of lawmakers are working to reach a compromise on border security before government funding runs out February 15, when another government shutdown could begin.

In an interview that aired Sunday, Trump told CBS he would not take the prospect of another shutdown "off the table."

Another summit with Kim Jong Un

Trump also said in the Sunday interview that his next meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "is set" and that he would reveal details about the planned meeting "probably State of the Union or shortly before."

Trump said the US and North Korea had "made tremendous progress" and contradicted the belief of Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats that the North Korean leader was unlikely to surrender his nuclear weapons. "That's what the intelligence chief thinks," he said.

Trump instead reiterated his belief that the countries could come to an agreement, saying "there's also a very good chance that we will make a deal."

"It has a chance to be one of the great economic countries in the world," he said. "He can't do that with nuclear weapons and he can't do that on the path they're on now.

"I like him. I get along with him great. We have a fantastic chemistry."

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Trump is teasing bombshells for his State of the Union address. They could include a national emergency over the wall and a new summit with Kim Jong Un.

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President Donald Trump is teasing show-stopping announcements he may include in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Ideas he has publicly toyed with include the declaration of a national emergency to secure border-wall funding and the confirmation of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

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President Donald Trump on Monday rejected the suggestion that he temporarily reopen government while negotiations continue on his proposed border wall, signaling no speedy resolution to the partial government shutdown now into a fourth week.

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President Donald Trump on Monday rejected the suggestion that he temporarily reopen government while negotiations continue on his proposed border wall, signaling no speedy resolution to the partial government shutdown now into a fourth week.

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I think reopening the government just to shut it down again, is completely unnecessary. I say this because Donald Trump is reopening it for a reason, he sees how much damage he's caused, but like a business man would, tries to solve it with a quick fix. I wonder if the President realizes that if he does this, and shuts us down again we will only be back in the same place we were in during the original shutdown he was basically forced to reopen. I feel like if we go through with this plan, things will only spiral more out of control, and things might just become irreversible, with a quick fix out of the option.

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President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Hispanic pastors at the Roosevelt Room of the White House Jan. 25, 2019 in Washington. (Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images)

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Sunday declined to rule out another government shutdown this month and threatened to declare a national emergency if a bipartisan committee negotiating over agency funding does not include money for his proposed border wall.

In a wide ranging Super Bowl Sunday interview with CBS, Trump also said he wants to keep U.S. troops in Iraq to "watch" Iran, disputed reports that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is considering a run for Senate and said he would steer his son, Barron, away from playing football because of the risk of concussions.

The interview, which will air on CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday morning as well as during the network's Super Bowl pregame coverage at 3:30 p.m., comes as Congress is running against a Feb. 15 deadline to broker a compromise on government funding and the president's demand for billions more in border wall money. Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill say they are eager to avoid another shutdown after an impasse late last year forced some federal agencies to close for 35 days.

"I don't like to take things off the table. It's that alternative. It's national emergency, it's other things," Trump told CBS's Margaret Brennan. "We're going to have a strong border. And the only way you have a strong border is you need a physical barrier."

The president expected to heavily focus on immigration and his request for border wall funding during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. White House aides have said the address will attempt to frame that and other issues in bipartisan terms.

Trump also discussed:

His longstanding feud with NFL players over kneeling during the national anthem. "You have to respect our flag and our country," Trump said. The president said he understood the players' concerns about police violence against African Americans and pointed to the bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation he signed late last year. The legislation dealt mainly with prison and sentencing reforms. "I think there are plenty of places and times you can protest and you can do a lot. But you can't do that," Trump said.

Why he would not push his son to play football. Trump was responding to a question about the risk of brain injuries from the game. "I hate to say it because I love to watch football. I think the NFL is a great product, but I really think that as far as my son - well I've heard NFL players saying they wouldn't let their sons play football. So. It's not totally unique, but I would have a hard time with it," he said.

Declined to say whether special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election should be made public. "That's up to the attorney general. I don't know. It depends. I have no idea what it's going to say," Trump said.

Repeated his commitment to withdraw some troops from Afghanistan and Syria but said he wanted to keep some U.S. forces in Iraq to keep an eye on Iran. "All I want to do is be able to watch," Trump said. "We have an unbelievable and expensive military base built in Iraq. It's perfectly situated for looking at all over different parts of the troubled Middle East rather than pulling up."

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/03/donald-trump-super-bowl-interview/2761271002/

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President Trump declines to rule out another shutdown, hits NFL kneeling in Super Bowl interview

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President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Hispanic pastors at the Roosevelt Room of the White House Jan. 25, 2019 in Washington. (Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images) WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Sunday declined to rule out another government shutdown this month and threatened to declare a national emergency if a bipartisan committee negotiating over agency funding does not include money for his proposed border wall.

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“I don't like to take things off the table. It's that alternative. It's national emergency, it's other things,” Trump told CBS’s Margaret Brennan. “We're going to have a strong border. And the only way you have a strong border is you need a physical barrier."

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“I don't like to take things off the table. It's that alternative. It's national emergency, it's other things,” Trump told CBS’s Margaret Brennan. “We're going to have a strong border. And the only way you have a strong border is you need a physical barrier."

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Donald trump, our president, is. a child. I think our president is a child by how he phrased that he didn't "like to take things off the table" like a greedy child that was everything to be open to them. I also say this because this still all boils down to the wall once again, he's so one track and single minded that he will do anything to get his way, declare national emergency, shut the government down. I feel like our president doesn't see us as people, only a business that needs to be run, and he will get this business to the top no matter who he has to step on, even if it means stepping on the very people who helped him get to where he is now.

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Such a move would appear to be unpopular. In a CBS poll published Sunday, 66% of Americans said Trump should not declare a national emergency if Congress did not fund a wall.

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Such a move would appear to be unpopular. In a CBS poll published Sunday, 66% of Americans said Trump should not declare a national emergency if Congress did not fund a wall.

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With over half of Americans believing trump shouldn't declare national shutdown, for Trump to declare one more thing, would cause public uproar and could end up dangerous. I say this because if you recall back in 2016, when President trump was elected into office, you can also recall the constant riots, protests, anger, and divide that was caused. I think with this, we may these actions again, and who knows, with lack of money, and security, people can get crazy, who knows how far people will go this time. I honestly feel afraid for what the future holds for us.

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Currently, there are three likely ways for this to end, and all but one seem almost unlikely. I say this because when the idea of Pelosi and Trump coming to an agreement, the president said the option had was not on the table, and the idea of republicans right now seems unlikely. The only option the President likes the most is the idea of an emergency shut down, which won't go well. I say this because of the previous article discussing how over half of Americans don't want that to happen. I wonder just how things will end.

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End of Government Shutdown May Depend on the Definition of ‘Wall’ (Published 2018)

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Even with negotiations resuming, the partial government shutdown may not end until Democrats and President Trump agree to disagree on what makes a border barrier a “wall.”

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'The president told reporters on Wednesday that he would do “whatever it takes” to ensure funding was provided for the wall he once bragged Mexico would pay for."

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'The president told reporters on Wednesday that he would do “whatever it takes” to ensure funding was provided for the wall he once bragged Mexico would pay for."

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When discussing the idea of this being solved, many Americans don't even think things may just end up with the wall being built. I say this because everyone discusses the emergency shut down, or one side finally backing down against the other, but people have all together really stopped discussing the wall itself. I think that this may be the only real ending where the American people don't have to suffer for much longer. which, makes me feel terrible that our president has this much power to corner us and break us like that. I wonder if he can see past his own goals to realize how badly we're suffering.