Trump, Democrats spar; government shutdown looms
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump clashed with Democratic leaders in dramatic fashion Tuesday, heaping pressure on Congress to craft a compromise on federal spending or face a crippling government shutdown in 10 days. Hours after the president suggested a funding deal with Democrats may be impossible, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer pulled out of a planned White House meeting with Trump that they said would be fruitless.
“Given that the president doesn’t see a deal between Democrats and the White House, we believe the best path forward is to continue negotiating with our Republican counterparts in Congress instead,” the pair said in a statement. Trump shot back that he was not surprised the Democrats rejected his offer, saying they were “very far apart” on several issues like immigration. “They’ve been all talk and they’ve been no action. And now it’s even worse, now it’s not even talk,” Trump declared during the meeting, which went ahead with Republican congressional leaders-an empty chair on either side of the president underscoring the absence of their Democratic counterparts.
Later, after a new North Korean missile launch, Trump said on Twitter: “it’s more important than ever to fund our gov’t & military! Dems shouldn’t hold troop funding hostage for amnesty & illegal immigration. I ran on stopping illegal immigration and won big. They can’t now threaten a shutdown to get their demands.” The rare public rejection of White House talks ratcheted up tensions in Washington over a 2018 spending bill that must pass by a December 8 deadline, and served as a stinging rebuke to a president who often mocks his rivals on Twitter.—AFP