The day ends where it started. Pelosi will not authorize a wall and Trump did not declare an emergency.

To end the government shutdown, Trump Makes His Case for a Border Wall.

President Trump in a prime-time address Tuesday said a wall along the southern border is key to national security, as he called for lawmakers to fund it and end a partial government shutdown that is days away from becoming the longest in U.S. history.

In the televised address from the Oval Office, Mr. Trump's first in his nearly two years as president, he said a barrier is necessary to prevent the movement of illegal drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border, and he shared stories of human trafficking.

"This is a humanitarian crisis—a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul," said Mr. Trump, sitting at the Resolute Desk. "This is the cycle of human suffering that I am determined to end."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic congressional leaders, issued an immediate televised response to the president, rejecting the idea of a wall as unnecessary.

"President Trump must stop holding the American people hostage, must stop manufacturing a crisis, and must reopen the government," Mrs. Pelosi said.

Mr. Schumer said Democrats are united with the president on the need for stronger border security, but said: "We sharply disagree with the president about the most effective way to do it."

Earlier Tuesday evening, Senate Democrats prevented the chamber from moving to consider a package of bills aimed at boosting security assistance for Israel and other Middle Eastern policy provisions. Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, where most bills need 60 votes to clear procedural hurdles.