President Trump is ramping up his messaging surrounding the current government shutdown. On Thursday he appeared before members of the press in the White House Briefing Room, defending his call for border wall funding.

Trump’s demand for over $5 billion of government funding has left Washington at a standstill. Lawmakers have been unable to reach an agreement that would give the President the funds that he needs. Democrats in the House of Representatives are unwilling to give any money for a wall, while Republicans in the Senate have refused to vote on anything that they don’t think the President will sign.

This has resulted in a loss of funding for 25% of the federal government, with around 380,000 staff furloughed and 420,000 essential staff working without pay.

A Physical Barrier is Necessary to Stop the Flow of Illegal Immigrants

The President believes that a physical barrier is the only way to stop the flow of undocumented migrants who cross the land border between Mexico and the United States. In the surprise briefing, Trump said that “We’ve never had more people wanting to come to the United States, and that has to do with the economy.”

Border Control officers joined President Trump in the Briefing Room. Brandon Judd, the President of the National Border Patrol Council, spoke briefly, agreeing with Trump that a physical wall is needed for security. He told attendees that existing physical barriers “have been an absolute necessity for border patrol agents in securing the border. We need those physical barriers, and we appreciate President Trump and all of his efforts in getting us those physical barriers.”

While data from the Department of Homeland Security suggests that most undocumented migrants initially arrive in the country legally, the President says that he still has staunch support for the wall. He confirmed that “I’ve never had so much support as I have in the last week over my stance for border security, for border control and for frankly the wall or the barrier.”

Agreement Needs to be Reached with Democratic Representatives

The House of Representatives is now controlled by a Democratic majority, with Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. Without House approval, no funding will be given to Trump and the government will remain in a standoff.

While Democrats still don’t look close to making a deal, Trump has not ruled anything out, saying that “hopefully we’re going to work together and we’re going to get lots of things done.”

Friday marks the 14^th day of the government shutdown. The longest shutdown in history was 21 days, running from December 16, 1995 to January 5, 1996. The nation is watching closely and hoping that lawmakers can find a political middle ground to bring all federal agencies back to full operation.