Trump Is Threatening To Shut Down The Government For The Border Wall (Again)
As we approach 2019, people are looking forward to seeing some change on the horizon. Even though the 2018 November midterms ensured that we would be seeing a few new faces within our government branches, Donald Trump's comment about shutting down the government might be a throwback no one asked for. Some things never change.
On Monday, Nov. 28, Donald Trump spoke to Politico about his plans for the United States going into 2019. During the interview, Trump said that he'd "totally be willing" to shut down the federal government if Congress decides not to approve the $5 billion construction plan for the infamous U.S.-Mexico border wall. Elite Daily reached out to the White House for additional comment about Trump's remarks, but did not hear back in time for publication.
By now, it's no secret that "the wall" has been one of Trump's favorite talking points, starting back from his presidential campaign trail. Well, fast-forward to the current day and it looks like he's still just as determined to have it become a reality. According to Trump, the wall will benefit the Republican party while also boosting "border security." In Trump's eyes, that might seem like a win-win. He said,
I don't do anything ... just for political gain. But I will tell you, politically speaking, that issue is a total winner. People look at the border, they look at the rush to the police, they look at the rock throwers and really hurting three people, three very brave border patrol folks – I think that it's a tremendous issue, but much more importantly, is really needed. So we have to have border security.
Trump may see the border wall as a step in the right direction, but so far little has been done. According to USA Today, Both Democrats and Republicans have ultimately reached a deal that will fund most of the government into 2019. However, Trump's border wall doesn't seem to be a part of that deal at the moment. So, the fact that Trump could try to derail that funding all in the name of the border wall is pretty problematic. Even though the threat of a government shutdown is never good news to hear, this isn't the first time Trump has threatened such measures while fighting for the wall. Back in January 2018, the federal government shut down for a few days when Trump and and the Democrats failed to reach a deal on immigration issues. Since, Trump has doubled down on efforts to build the border wall specifically, and it looks like he'll take extreme measures to see it come to life.
In September, Trump threatened to shut down parts of the federal government while pushing for money to fund the border wall. Plus, in July, Trump threatened to shut down the government for similar reasons when the House Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill that would give $1.6 billion to border security as opposed to Trump's $5 billion asking price.
To me, nearly $2 billion sounds like a nice chunk of change, but clearly Trump wasn't pleased with the compromise. Following the spending bill, Trump took to Twitter to discuss the possibility of a government shutdown. According to the president, it's a small price to pay in the name of democracy. Um, OK.
Just when we thought Capitol Hill employees had enough on their plates, now they have to deal with threats from the president to shut down the government. If I were you Mr. Trump, I'd take the $1.6 billion and run.
