Donald Trump warns US government shutdown could last more than a year

Donald Trump has warned that the government shutdown could last for more than a year as he doubled down on a pledge to block any deal that does not include US-Mexico border wall funding.

The US president confirmed during a press conference after closed doors White House talks with leading Democrats on Friday that he had made the threat.

“I did. Absolutely I said that. I don’t think it will [last that long] but I’m prepared,” Mr Trump said. However he added that he hoped the shutdown would end within “days”.

A quarter of the US federal government has been closed for a fortnight now because of the failure of Congress and the president to agree a new spending package.

Mr Trump has said he will refuse to sign any spending bill that does not include $5.6 billion for building his US-Mexico border wall – a key campaign pledge.

But the Democrats, who now control the House of Representatives – one half of Congress – have refused to pass a bill that includes substantial border wall cash.

Mr Trump’s private warning was made public by Chuck Schumer, the most senior Democrat in the Senate who attended Friday’s talks, in brief comments after the meeting.

Mr Schumer said: “We told the president we needed the government open. He resisted. In fact, he said he would keep the government closed for a very long period of time, months or even years.”

Discussing the talks, Mr Schumer also said: “We made a plea to the president once again. Don’t hold millions of Americans, hundreds of thousands of workers, hostage. Open up the government and let’s continue the discussions.”

The warning reflects Mr Trump’s apparent belief that the public supports his stance. However, the Democrats will spin the comments as proof Mr Trump lacks sufficient concern for the 800,000 workers affected.

Even a shutdown that lasted a month would break recent US political records. The longest shutdown in the last 40 years was in 1995 and lasted three weeks.

Mr Trump held his own press conference after the talks, flanked by Mike Pence, the US vice president, Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary, and Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives.

He initially said the meeting had been “productive” and “very good” but later conceded it had been “contentious”.

“We’re not talking about games. We’re talking about national security,” Mr Trump said as he warned that the lack of a wall along the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border was a “dangerous, horrible disaster”.

The House of Representatives passed bills to reopen the government on the first day of the new Congress on Thursday.

However the spending bills are unlikely to be taken up in the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority, because of Mr Trump's refusal to sign bills without border wall cash. More talks are set to take place this weekend.

There have been signs in the last 48 hours that moderate Republicans in the Senate are willing to break with the president and demand he approve a spending package to reopen government.

Cory Gardner, the Republican senator for Colorado, said: “I think we should pass a continuing resolution to get the government back open. The Senate has done it last Congress, we should do it again today.”

Susan Collins, the Republican senator for Maine, said “it would be great” for the Democrats’ spending bills to be adopted, adding: “At least we’d be getting those workers back to work."

Nine US government departments have been impacted by the shutdown including Homeland Security, Justice, State and Treasury. Many national parks are closed because there is not enough staff to pick up rubbish and clean toilet facilities.

The US National Gallery of Art, all 19 Smithsonian museums – including well known tourist attractions in Washington DC – and the National Zoo are closed.

Nearly 80,000 employees at Internal Revenue Service, the US taxman, have been sent home. However some vital parts of government including the postal service and social security office remain open.

Roughly half of the 800,000 government workers affected are made to stay at home while the other half are deemed “essential” and made to work without pay – though they may be paid eventually.