Oval Office clash ups chances of shutdown
Washington took a big step closer to a partial government shutdown on Tuesday as President Trump dug in on his demand for a border wall during a fiery Oval Office meeting with Democratic leaders.
Trump told House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) that he would take the “mantle” of a shutdown to win tougher border security, going so far as to say he wouldn’t blame Democrats if funding lapsed for certain federal agencies.
The extraordinary public exchange left congressional Democrats with little incentive to compromise, and Senate Democrats subsequently ratcheted back their latest offer, with Schumer saying he no longer supports $1.6 billion for border fencing.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), who met with Trump privately before Thanksgiving, acknowledged on Tuesday that a shutdown now appears more likely.
“I think it’s a step in that direction, obviously, at least with the rhetoric,” he said.
Republicans were stunned by Trump’s remarks and scrambled to rein him in. GOP lawmakers have spent months insisting they don’t want a government shutdown, and they’ve tried to steer Trump away from a scenario like the one unfolding in Washington.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/420924-oval-office-clash-ups-chances-of-shutdown?userid=229233
It's all on the dotard if it shuts down.
= new reply since forum marked as read
“I never said I supported shutting down the government! Fake news!”
