Trump: I’d Love to See a Shutdown If There Is No Wall

February 7, 2018 Focus Washington Administration

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would love to see a government shutdown if Democrats do not agree to his demands on immigration.

“We’ll do a shutdown and it’s worth it for our country. I’d love to see a shutdown if we don’t get this stuff taken care of,” Trump said.

“If we have to shut it down because the Democrats don’t want safety and, unrelated but still related, they don’t want to take care of our military, then shut it down. We’ll go with another shutdown,” the president added.

Trump’s remarks come as lawmakers from both sides are trying to meet the Thursday deadline to fund the government. In recent days there has been a show of optimism among lawmakers that a government shutdown will be avoided, but Trump’s stances are starting to break down the chances of avoiding another.

Previously, both Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate said that they were close to a two-year budget deal which does not include immigration language. Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate announced this earlier Tuesday.

“Speaks for itself. We had one Trump shutdown. Nobody wants another, maybe except him,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said regarding Trump’s comments.

Republican Representative Barbara Comstock confronted Trump after he welcomed a shutdown.

“We don’t need a government shutdown on this,” she said to Trump during a meeting. “I think both sides have learned that a government shutdown is bad.”

Trump cut off Comstock and doubled down on his desire to stage a shutdown.

“We have to get that, they are not supporting us,” the president said. “You can say what you want. We are not getting the support of the Democrats.”

According to The Hill, Trump has vented his frustration that Democrats have refused to accept his sweeping immigration plan. The proposal would offer a path to citizenship for as many as 1.8 million immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children in exchange for billions of dollars for a wall along the southern border and steep cuts to legal immigration.