Trump Suggests Long Shutdown, Presses Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is saying that if Senate Democrats don't go along with his demand for border wall money, "there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time."
And the White House is encouraging the Senate's Republican leader to change the chamber's rules in order to pass a government spending bill that includes billions for Trump's long-sought wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Press secretary Sarah Sanders says Trump would "love" for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to lower the Senate's threshold for ending debate on legislation from 60 votes to 51, as it currently stands for judicial appointments.
And Trump, in a tweet aimed at McConnell, says: "Mitch, use the Nuclear Option and get it done! Our Country is counting on you!"
McConnell has previously resisted the rules change.
A week ago, President Donald Trump said he'd be "proud" to shut down the government if Congress, led by fellow Republicans, didn't give him the money he wanted for his long-promised border wall with Mexico.
Now, the government is heading toward a partial shutdown if a spending impasse isn't settled by midnight. And Trump is saying that if enough Senate Democrats don't go along with a House-passed plan that includes the border money, then it'll be a "Democrat Shutdown!"