President Donald Trump talks to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Washington.
- President Donald Trump is set to make an announcement Saturday afternoon that multiple reports have described will be a fresh offer to negotiate with Democratic lawmakers.
- Saturday marks the 29th day of the partial government shutdown that resulted from and weeks of stalled talks between lawmakers and the administration over Trump's desired $5 billion for a border wall along the southern border.
- Despite reports of Trump's intentions to put immigration policy back on the negotiating table, comments made to reporters Saturday morning suggest it could be another public standoff with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
President Donald Trump is set to make an announcement Saturday afternoon, which multiple reports have described as containing offers to entice Democratic lawmakers to restart negotiations to open the government.
The announcement comes on the 29th day of the government shutdown and amid weeks of stalled talks among lawmakers and the administration
Axios reported Saturday that a source with direct knowledge said Trump would bring the BRIDGE Act to the negotiating table, which could provide expanded protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and extend the legal status of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders.
A senior administration official quoted in a Friday CNN report said the announcement would be Trump's third offer to end the shutdown and though he wouldn't concede his demands for a border wall, he would be offering Democrats other measures to re-open negotiations.
The White House did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
The shutdown began on December 22 after Congress failed to pass funding that included Trump's desired $5 billion for a wall along the US southern border.
House Democrats are slated to vote on $1 billion for additional border security measures next week, according to a Saturday CNN report. The money would not contribute to a border wall but would be dedicated to port security and providing additional immigration judges.
The vote marks the 10th measure House Democrats have voted on this month to open the government, seven of which have passed.
Trump tweeted Friday that he would be making an announcement on the 29th day of the shutdown "concerning the Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern Border, and the Shutdown."
The shutdown is the longest in American history, and has featured reports of several explosive episodes from failed negotiations meetings between Trump and top Democrats House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
In a meeting with Schumer and Pelosi last week, Trump reportedly left the room almost immediately after Pelosi said she would not provide funding for a wall if he opened the government for 30 days while they continued negotiating.
In a tweet describing the meeting, Trump wrote in part that "Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works!"
Despite reports on its potential policy outcomes, the announcement could possibly set the stage for another high-profile flare-up between Trump and Pelosi, who he told reporters, without offering evidence or explanation, Saturday morning is "controlled by the radical left."
"She's being controlled by the radical left, which is a problem," Trump said. "You know, she's under total control of the radical left. I think that's a very bad thing for her. I think it's a very bad thing for the Democrats."
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