President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday morning that he would be willing to “shut down” the federal government if Democrats don’t agree to fund the border wall and if there isn’t immigration reform.
“I would be willing to “shut down” government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall! Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT! We need great people coming into our Country!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
I would be willing to “shut down” government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall! Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT! We need great people coming into our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2018
Congress has a deadline of September 30 to pass a budget for the next fiscal year, or risk a shutdown much like the one that occurred in January.
Trump’s tweet comes just days after he met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan to discuss a strategy to minimize the risk of a shutdown over the border wall, which Democrats still actively oppose, The Huffington Post reports.
According to Politico, Trump seemed “receptive” to delaying the fight for the border wall funding until after the election. However, Trump’s threats on Twitter doesn’t seem to be helping to ensure that a budget is passed to prevent a shutdown.
Shortly after the president’s tweets, Rep. Steve Stivers, Chairman of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee told ABC News “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz that the Republican-held Congress would work to keep the government open.
“I don’t think we’re going to shut down the government,” Stivers said. “You know, I think we’re going to make sure we keep the government open, but we’re going to get better policies on immigration.”
Stivers, however, criticized Democrats’ stance on immigration, saying the Democrats want “open borders.”
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Ben Ray Luján also appeared on “This Week,” and said the Democrats want immigration policies that are “fair” and “tough.”
“Democrats are standing strong when it comes to a comprehensive immigration reform conversation with the American people that is fair, that is tough and that will be good for America,” Luján said.
Raddatz asked Luján some Democrats’ call for the abolishment of ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
“Is that a good message for the Democrats, abolishing ICE?” Raddatz said.
“Democrats want to work on a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform package to address all of our issues across the country,” Luján responded.