Trump ‘totally’ willing to shut down government

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump would “totally be willing” to shut down the federal government if Congress does not approve $5 billion for construction of a wall along the U.S.Mexican border, he said during an Oval Office interview with Politico.

The president has pushed congressional leaders to approve the funding for his long-promised wall as the threat of a partial government shutdown looms.

This year, Democrats and Republicans reached a deal to fund most of the government into 2019, but funding for some agencies is set to expire Dec. 7.

Trump told Politico that the $5 billion he demands would be only for the wall and that the “number is larger for border security” overall.

House Republicans backed Trump’s call for $5 billion; the House Appropriations Committee approved the spending in July. A bipartisan Senate bill earmarked $1.6 billion for the wall.

Although Republicans still control both the Senate and House, GOP leaders said Democrats will be to blame if a deal on border security is not struck.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., wondered if Democrats are “going to shut down the government because they don’t want to keep America safe?”

“We need Democrat votes to have a wall,” Trump told The Washington Post, indicating he had a backup plan if the funding fell through.

“There are other potential ways that I can do it. You saw what we did with the military, just coming in with the barbed wire and the fencing,” he told the Post. Democrats pushed back.

“If there’s any shutdown, it’s on President Trump’s back,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said.