Trump says that he is willing to go through with a government shutdown if he doesn’t get the funding needed to build his wall. He’s not asking for the full amount but he is asking for 5 billion and is willing fight for it:
AP – Trump is seeking $5 billion for the wall, which he made a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign and said Mexico would pay for, and he is stepping up pressure on Congress to provide it. Trump said he would “totally be willing” to shut down the government if he doesn’t receive the wall money he wants.
House Republicans approved $5 billion for Trump’s wall in a key committee, but a bipartisan bill in the Senate allocates just $1.6 billion for the border.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called Tuesday’s White House meeting “very productive” and said Trump “is very solid with where he wants to go and what he needs to have a secure border.”
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., took a hard line on the negotiations, saying Democrats will soon face a crucial question: “Are they going to shut down the government because they don’t want to keep America safe?”
Trump said he is considering a backup plan if Congress rejects his demand for the $5 billion, possibly including the continued use of troops and razor wire to prevent migrants from entering the country. He told The Washington Post that if he doesn’t get the money, there are other ways he could get it done.
But he has expressed impatience. “I am firm,” he said in an interview published Wednesday in Politico.
“I don’t do anything … just for political gain,” Trump said. “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.”
To be clear this isn’t a full shutdown that looms, but only a partial shutdown.
If Trump doesn’t get the 5 billion he suggests that there are other ways he could get it done. Last year it was reported that he could use military funding to build the wall and I wonder if that’s what he’s talking about here. He didn’t elaborate, but after Sunday’s attempt to breach the border by over a thousand migrants, he may be planning to call it a national security issue and use DOD money and DOD resources to build it.
I’m sure there will be a huge fight if he chooses to do that which is why I think he hasn’t already gone that route.