Is this the tipping point for the Trump administration? Between unpaid federal workers (despite bills voted down by Democrats that would have paid them) and restricted operations at LaGuardia airport in New York, President Trump has offered a half-measure, which GOP senators had suggested.

The announcement came from the Rose Garden.

President Trump said Friday that he will support a short-term spending bill to re-open the government, temporarily ending the partial government shutdown that has dragged on for more than a month — despite a day earlier saying Republicans would not “cave” on his demands for funding for a wall on the southern border.

“I am very proud to announce we have reached a deal to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government,” he said to applause from gathered Cabinet members.

He said the deal would keep the government open for three weeks until Feb. 15 and that a bill would go before the Senate immediately. He made reference to his previous threats to declare a national emergency, calling it a “very powerful weapon,” but saying he didn’t want to use it. The deal appeared to include no money for a wall or steel barrier, but he said he hoped negotiations would continue to come to an agreement on wall funding.

“Walls should not be controversial,” he said.

In short, the government will reopen, as is, with a continuing resolution, for three weeks. President Trump pledged that the federal workers would receive their back pay as soon as possible. There will be a bipartisan committee formed to put together a Homeland Security package – which the president fully intends to contain funding for a wall/barrier/physical blocking point/whatever it will be called – to increase southern border security.

As of right now, President Trump is NOT using the national emergency card, but he is holding it in reserve unless he gets what he wants in this yet-to-be-written Homeland Security package. And he said that either he gets his wall, or the government shuts down again in three weeks. And then he will use the national emergency power.

Reactions were not favorable to the president.

This is such a humiliating end for Trump's gambit. There's nothing here that was not on the table 35 days ago. Huge defeat. And once the government reopens, he has literally no leverage to try this again.

— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) January 25, 2019

Thirty-five days of hardship for 800,000 people and their families, just to bring the argument right back to where we were. Master dealmaker, my ass.

— Friendly Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) January 25, 2019

Bottom line: Dems win staredown, forcing temp reopening, w/ negotiations over next 3 weeks. If Trump doesn’t get some significant barrier $ (lots of Dems now/again on record in favor), he’ll either shut it down again, invoke controversial ‘emergency’ powers, or fully concede.

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 25, 2019

Right now, Senator Lindsey Graham is begging the Democrats to come to the table and negotiate in good faith.

Just Now: @LindseyGrahamSC on shutdown deal "this is the first time in 12 years I've seen a deal where you secure your border and protect your DACA-TPS population." pic.twitter.com/GnJFGeVVEW

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 25, 2019

So, does this round really go to Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats? Unless these coming three weeks end with a deal that Trump and his supporters like, history will record that the president was the one who blinked – and lost.

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Featured image: The White House on January 13, 2019 (official White House photo by Tia Dufour, public domain)