FILE PHOTO: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) waits for U.S. President Donald Trump to enter the room to speak about the "First Step Act" in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, U.S. November 14, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Thursday that President Donald Trump should declare a national emergency and bypass Congress to fund a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “refusal to negotiate on funding for a border wall/barrier - even if the government were to be reopened - virtually ends the congressional path to funding for a border wall/barrier,” Graham said in a statement.

“It is time for President Trump to use emergency powers to fund the construction of a border wall/barrier,” he said.