Article snippet: “I am in the Oval Office & just gave out a 115-mile long contract for another large section of the Wall in Texas,” President Trump tweeted. “We are already building and renovating many miles of Wall, some complete. Democrats must end Shutdown and finish funding. Billions of Dollars, & lives, will be saved!” The announcement comes after President Trump met with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other officials on Monday to discuss border security issues as a partial government shutdown over the U.S.-Mexico border wall entered Christmas without a clear resolution in sight. Though both sides have traded offers over the dollars, they remain far apart on the wall. The White House insists Trump will reject any deal that does not include money for a wall or fence; Democrats were holding firm in their opposition to a wall or other physical barrier. In a joint statement Monday, Democrat leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), vowed that as long as the president keeps listening to the Freedom Caucus and others on the right flank, there is no easy resolution to the impasse. “It’s Christmas Eve and President Trump is plunging the country into chaos,” the leaders said. They pointed to problems beyond the shutdown, including the plunging stock market and the president’s firing of the defense secretary. “The president wanted the shutdown, but he seems not to know how to get himself out of it.” Acting White House chief of staff Mic... Link to the full article to read more