President Trump said Friday that congressional Democrats will determine whether there’s a partial government shutdown at midnight, seeking to move blame to his opponents even after he said last week he would gladly accept the “mantle” of responsibility for shutting it down.
“Now it’s up to the Democrats as to whether or not we have a shutdown tonight,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office before a vote on spending legislation that includes Trump’s demand for $5 billion in border wall funding.
“It’s really the Democrat shutdown,” Trump said. “We’re totally prepared for a very long shutdown.”
Trump spoke after a meeting with Senate Republican leaders. The Senate is scheduled to vote Friday afternoon on a House-passed spending bill that includes wall funds, but with Democrats united in opposition, it cannot reach the 60-vote threshold needed for passage.
Trump said he didn’t want there to be a shutdown but that he is prepared to weather one if it happens, according to a pool report.
“We are going to be working very hard to get something passed in the Senate,” he said.
Last week, Trump said during a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that he would be proud to trigger a shutdown over wall funds, suggesting he would be glad to own the shutdown all by himself.
