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President Trump fired a new shot in the war over ownership of the government shutdown. Trump canceled a military flight Pelosi had booked.
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s campaign is raising money to send bricks to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over the ongoing dispute to fund a wall along the southern border that led to the partial government shutdown. 

“Since Chuck and Nancy keep stonewalling the President, we’ll send the wall to them, brick by brick, until they agree to secure the border!” Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said in a tweet promoting the campaign. 

The border wall is at the heart of what led to the partial government shutdown, which is now in its 28th day and the longest on record. Democrats refuse to give $5.7 billion to construct a border wall and Trump refuses to concede in his demand for one. 

Trump’s campaign website claims the president came up with the idea to send Pelosi, D-Calif., and Schumer, D-NY, bricks, which the site notes are “faux.” 

“We have set a goal to send 100,000 BRICKS to their offices to prove that WALLS WORK!” the website says, noting one must donate by midnight Jan. 18 to have one sent to the Democratic leaders. 

The smallest contribution one must give to have a brick sent is $20.20. But if you’re looking to send seven fake bricks, you’d have to donate $140. 

The site notes that 75 percent of each donation goes to Trump’s 2020 primary or the general election. The additional 25 percent goes to the Republican National Committee. 

As the government shutdown entered Day 28 on Friday, Trump taunted Pelosi over his move to cancel a military plane she was scheduled to take to lead a congressional delegation to a war zone in Afghanistan.

The cancellation on Thursday came after Pelosi sent the president a letter suggesting his State of the Union address – scheduled for Jan. 29 – be delayed or that he submit it in writing if parts of the government remain closed at the end of the month.

“Why would Nancy Pelosi leave the Country with other Democrats on a seven day excursion when 800,000 great people are not getting paid,” Trump tweeted on Friday.

The president on Friday also moved to further limit travel by Congress members during the partial government shutdown by barring them from using government planes without prior written approval.

The increasingly bitter dispute with back-and-forth barbs hasn’t helped in negotiations to end the shutdown. No meetings are currently scheduled between Trump and Pelosi to try to resolve the budget impasse at the heart of the shutdown.

While some Republicans have said they would consider a Democratic plan to reopen the government now while wall negotiations continue, Trump claimed the party is united behind his hard-line approach to keeping it closed.

“Never seen the Republican Party so unified,” Trump tweeted. “No ‘Cave’ on the issue of Border and National Security.”

Contribution: Michael Collins, David Jackson