Trump speech highlights: US Prez wants $5.7 bn for steel wall along border

Donald Trump's border wall issue has compelled a partial shutdown of the US federal government. Track Trump speech here

To persuade Democrats to back his push for a steel barrier on the US-Mexico border, President Donald Trump on Wednesday addressed the nation. In his speech, Trump said, "undocumented immigrants cost the $500 billion a year, but that leaves out the economic contributions that they make to the U.S by paying taxes (including Medicare and Social Security taxes they'll never benefit from) and spending money in their communities." He said that the new NAFTA would pay for a border wall.

Trump's border wall issue has forced a partial shutdown of the US federal government, which has stretched into a third week with virtually no end in sight. “The only solution is for Democrats to pass a spending bill that defends our borders and reopens our government,” Trump said Tuesday during a roughly 10-minute televised speech from the Oval Office, employing for the first time in his presidency a format traditionally used to explain major military actions or to calm the nation during times of crisis.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader speak from the Capitol after Trump.

— House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House passed legislation to open the government.

— House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats want border security. They passed a bill January 3 that would spend $1.3 billion on border fencing, $7.08 billion on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and millions more on border security technology and personnel.

Donald Trump's speech highlights:

— Trump said in the last two years, I.C.E. officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records.

— Trump said why do wealthy politicians build walls, fences and gates around their homes? They don’t build walls because they hate the people on the outside but because they love the people on the inside.

— Trump said there's crisis of the heart and crisis of the soul at US-Mexico border.

— "Trump said undocumented immigrants cost $500 billion a year to the US, but that leaves out the economic contributions that they make to the U.S by paying taxes (including Medicare and Social Security taxes they'll never benefit from) and spending money in their communities."

— Trump said the wall will also be paid for, indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico.

— "Trump said people call his proposed wall "immoral."

— Trump says the fence will be made of steel at the Democrats' urging.

— Trump said the new NAFTA would pay for a border wall.

— Trump says Democrats won't fund border security.

— Trump said 90 per cent of drugs cross the southern border.

Here are a few things you must know about the US shutdown

The partial shutdown of the US federal government is now the second-longest shutdown in the US history. If the shutdown continues through the weekend, it will be the longest on record. The closures are having an impact on 800,000 federal workers, many of whom will not receive paychecks for the first time since the standoff in Washington began just before Christmas.

What's stopping the US government from functioning?

Standing in the way of a resolution is Trump’s demand for a wall along the US-Mexico border. Despite repeatedly vowing that Mexico would pay for it, the President is now demanding $5.7 billion to proceed with the construction of the border wall. Democrats controlling the House have agreed to fund only $1.3 billion for border security.