Government shutdown: Trump walks out of meeting with Democrats

WASHINGTON -- The fight over the partial government shutdown is starting to get vicious. Now in its 19th day, there's no agreement on the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

President Donald Trump walked out of his negotiating meeting with congressional Democrats Wednesday, calling it a "waste of time."

Sen. Chuck Schumer replied saying the president was throwing a "temper tantrum."

The president is urging the Democrat-controlled House to approve a budget that includes a $5.7 billion border wall.

The White House says if they can't reach an agreement soon, the president could declare a national emergency and take money from the Pentagon to build the wall.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers now face lost paychecks on Friday because neither side is willing to budge.

An Eyewitness News poll conducted by Survey USA asked people who they believe is responsible for the government shutdown.

About 25 percent say Democrats in Congress, 4 percent say Republicans in Congress and two-thirds of those polled blame Trump for the stalemate.

The majority of those surveyed did agree on this question. If a wall is built between USA and Mexico who will pay for it?

Of those polled, 81 percent agree it'll fall on the American taxpayer.

In an Eyewitness News interview, Los Angeles DEA Special Agent in Charge David Downing says the fight against drugs at the border won't necessarily be fixed by a 30 foot wall.

"Certainly every measure would be helpful," he said. "But a wall itself would not necessarily stop the flow of drugs as it traverses our area of responsibility into Los Angeles. We're still talking about airports, we're talking about passenger vehicles that go through legal ports of entry. There's so many ways that traffickers bring it in."

The president is heading to Texas Thursday to see the U.S.-Mexico border in person.