Trump threatens government shutdown
Print Edition
PRESIDENT Donald Trump took the unusual step of advocating a forced shutdown of the federal government yesterday, after Republicans and Democrats ignored White House demands in reaching a budget deal.
After a bruising budget battle saw fellow Republicans jettison many of Trump’s election promises, the president lashed out, saying the government should not be funded at all.
Trump’s congressional allies have cut a deal with Democrats to fund the government until September.
“Our country needs a good ‘shutdown’ in September to fix mess!” Trump tweeted.
Previous government shutdowns have cost the US economy tens of billions of dollars and seen government services grind to a halt as thousands of non-essential personnel are laid off from work.
Trump could, if he wanted, refuse to sign the bill funding the government up to September, which is still being finalized in Congress. His comments complicate Republican efforts to paint that budget deal as a victory, thanks largely to an increase in military spending.
Trump also called for a change in congressional rules which requires 60 votes in the Senate to pass budget rules - a threshold that makes party compromise necessary.
“The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate which are not there,” he said. “We either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51 percent.”
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