White House mulls using disaster funds to build wall

McALLEN (Texas): US President Donald Trump travelled to the border on Thursday to warn of crime and chaos on the frontier, as White House officials considered diverting emergency aid from storm- and fire-ravaged Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas and California to build a border barrier, perhaps under an emergency declaration.

The White House has directed the Army Corps of Engineers to determine whether it could divert for wall construction $13.9 billion allocated last year after devastating hurricanes and wildfires, according to congressional and defence department officials with knowledge of the matter.

As the shutdown neared record Day 22, Trump used a visit to a border facility in McAllen to blame the protracted shutdown on Democrats, charging that their opposition to a wall was responsible for brutal crime and violence. "You'll have crime in Iowa, you'll have crime in New Hampshire, you'll have crime in New York" without a wall, he warned. "We could stop that cold," he added.

The showdown has forced 800,000 workers to go without pay and placed federal benefits for millions more in jeopardy, with the fallout being felt across the US. Miami International Airport will close a terminal early for three days because of a shortage of Transportation Security Administration screeners, airport spokesman Greg Chin said. "Due to an increased number of TSA screeners not reporting to work, we have decided to take this precautionary step and relocate about 12 flights to adjoining concourses in the afternoons."

On Friday, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association sued the federal government for forcing its members to work without pay during the government shutdown. It's at least the third lawsuit filed by government workers since the shutdown began 21 days ago.

Meanwhile, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted to restore funding for federal agencies that have been shut down. But a full resumption of operations did not appear in sight because Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has said he will not bring the House bill up for a vote. Republicans who control the Senate have so far insisted that any spending bills include money for his wall.