House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said in an interview clip tweeted Wednesday that she will not give any funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, adamantly opposing President Donald Trump's calls for $5 billion for the barrier.
In a preview of an interview set to air on Thursday during NBC's "Today" show, Pelosi told host Savannah Guthrie that Democrats will not give Trump any money for a border wall.
"Are you willing to come up and give him some of this money for the wall?" -@SavannahGuthrie
"No." -@NancyPelosi
"Because apparently that's the sticking point." -Guthrie
"No, no. Nothing for the wall." -PelosiFull exclusive interview tomorrow on TODAY pic.twitter.com/6zHKXJjPbb
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 2, 2019
"Are you willing to come up and give him some of this money for the wall?" Guthrie asked. "Because apparently that's the sticking point."
"No, no. Nothing for the wall," Pelosi responded. "We're talking about border security."
"We can go through this all back and forth—no," Pelosi continued. "How many more times can we say no? Nothing for the wall."
Funding a wall on the southern border was one of the contentious issues that led to the current partial government shutdown. Pelosi and other Democratic leaders have rejected Trump's calls for funding, and both sides are negotiating a possible solution.
Pelosi, who is expected to become the next speaker of the House in the new Congress, and other Democratic leaders met with Trump at the White House on Wednesday, but their negotiations were not successful.
"The United States needs a physical barrier. It needs a wall," Trump said during his cabinet meeting. He added that parts of the government will remain closed for "as long as it takes" and blasted Democrats for refusing to negotiate on ending the shutdown, which entered its 12th day on Wednesday.
Democrats officially take control of the House on Thursday. The first item on their agenda will be voting for legislation to end the shutdown without providing money for the border wall.
"We are asking the president to open up the government," Pelosi said following the meeting with Trump. "We are giving him a Republican path to do that. Why would he not do it?"