President Trump’s schedule (EST):

2:30 PM:  Hosts a roundtable discussion on border security and safe communities with state, local and community leaders at the White House.

The House will pass an Interior-Environment appropriation, H.R.266, and the Senate’s federal pay restoration bill, S.24, before leaving town early this afternoon.  The Senate remains paralyzed as Democrats block any votes until Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) allows votes on House bills to fund the government.  There’s no end in sight for the government shutdown as it’s duration moves into record territory.

“Trump Cancels Davos Trip, Digs In on Border-Wall Funding.”  Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article led with:

WASHINGTON—President Trump on Thursday canceled a trip to the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, and reasserted his willingness to declare a national emergency to pay for the border wall as the partial government shutdown neared the longest in history.

“Probably I will do it, I would almost say definitely,” Mr. Trump said when asked whether he would consider declaring the emergency.

Mr. Trump, who spoke as he prepared to leave for the southern border town of McAllen, Texas, added that he would prefer to compromise with Democrats on funding.

“The easy route for me would have been to call a national emergency and do it,” he said. “If we don’t make a deal, I would say it would be very surprising to me that I would not declare a national emergency and just fund it through the various mechanisms.”