Trump signs deal to reopen govt for three weeks

US President Donald Trump on Friday caved in to pressure and agreed a temporary reopening of the government, ending the partial shutdown but failing to extract any funding for his border wall.

“We have reached a deal to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government,” Trump said in a national address delivered from the Rose Garden of the White House, adding that the 800,000 federal workers who have gone without pay for 35 days would receive backpay "very quickly or as soon as possible".

Trump has demanded $5.7bn from Congress to meet his key manifesto pledge but has been stymied by the Democrats, who now have control of the House of Representatives and refuse to approve the expenditure.

In retaliation Trump refused to sign any spending Bills, leading to the longest partial shutdown in US history.

The president said warned Congress he would declare a national emergency if a deal on the wall could not be agreed before the three week period ended.

“Let me be very clear: we really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier. If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15 again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the law and the constitution of the US to address this emergency.”

The plight of the 800,000 federal employees has become severe, with many relying on food banks to provide essentials. This did not seem to resonate with many in the Trump administration, epitomised by the Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross who said he didn’t “quite understand” why workers had to visit food banks and urged them to instead apply for loans from banks and credit unions.

Democrats seized on the remark, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who asked: “Is this the ‘let them eat cake’ kind of attitude? Or call your father for money?”