Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plan to respond to President Donald Trump's address on border security. | Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images Congress Pelosi, Schumer to deliver rebuttal to Trump address on border security

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will deliver a rebuttal Tuesday to President Donald Trump’s prime-time address on border security.

The response comes as the partial government shutdown over additional funding for Trump’s border wall enters its 18th day.


In a joint statement released Monday, Schumer and Pelosi said that “now that the television networks have decided to air the President’s address, which if his past statements are any indication will be full of malice and misinformation, Democrats must immediately be given equal airtime.”

Trump announced Monday that he would deliver an address from the Oval Office to discuss the “humanitarian and national security crisis” on the southwest border. ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News and Fox Business have agreed to broadcast the president’s address, which is scheduled for 9 p.m.

The dueling addresses come as Trump has fueled speculation in recent days that he may declare a national emergency to go around Congress and fund his border wall if he is unable to reach an agreement with Democrats to end the shutdown.

Top congressional aides met with Trump administration officials over the weekend to continue negotiations to end the partial government shutdown, but made little progress.

The Democrat-controlled House voted last week to re-open the federal government, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won't take up the funding package without Trump's approval.