WASHINGTON — As the partial U.S. government shutdown extends to its 19th day, with no clear end in sight, President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats remain in a standoff over his demand for $5.7 billion to fund a wall along the southern border.

• President, congressional Democrats remain in a standoff over wall funding
• Sen. Ted Cruz says need for wall is “critical national priority”
• Cruz won't “pre-judge” a move by the president to declare a national emergency 

The impasse comes after a meeting between Trump and congressional leaders at the White House on Wednesday ended in acrimony with both sides pointing fingers at each other afterward. A quarter of the government is closed, and both sides are refusing to give ground. Democrats refuse to pay for Trump’s border wall while he declines to agree to any budget deal without that funding.

Trump has threatened to declare a national emergency on the border while continuing to argue that illegal immigration is a national security threat. He is considering redirecting existing federal funds to build his wall if Democrats don’t cave, sidestepping Congress by using executive powers.

Senator Ted Cruz described the need to build a border wall as a “critical national priority” and said he supports the president’s efforts. He declined to “pre-judge” a move by the president to declare a national emergency, saying each person holding office is “bound by the Constitution.” He will wait for the president’s next move and what legal justifications he uses and will “assess them on the merits” before deciding whether he supports the president declaring a national emergency to build his wall.

Cruz spoke with Spectrum News’ Margaret Chadbourn about the shutdown and which side is to blame as it drags out, as well as looking into whether the president could use eminent domain to seize the land of Texans in order to build a border barrier.