House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Tuesday that it was “absurd” for President Trump to say a government shutdown might be needed to “fix” the mess in Washington.

“That’s an absurd observation,” Hoyer told reporters at his weekly pen and pad Tuesday. But he said it could explain why Trump picked Mick Mulvaney as director of the Office of Management and Budget, given his support for the 2013 shutdown.