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Trump is abruptly threatening to veto the spending bill and force a government shutdown over the border wall

President Donald Trump signaled he may veto a short-term funding bill over the legislation's lack of funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border, possibly pushing the federal government into a shutdown.

In a tweet Thursday, Trump seemed to express dissatisfaction with the Congress' current course of action: a clean, short-term funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, or CR. It would keep the government open until February 8. It includes no funding for the border wall.

"When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership," Trump said. "Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didn't happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries - but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!"

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders subsequently said Trump would meet with House Republican members later Thursday.

"At this moment, the President does not want to go further without border security, which includes steel slats or a wall. The President is continuing to weigh his options," she said.

The CR is the result of a month of contentious negotiations over the shutdown deadline, with Trump demanding $5 billion in wall funding while Democrats would only offer $1.6 billion in general border security funds. The stopgap bill passed the Senate on Wednesday and a vote in the House is expected on Thursday, but sudden rumblings of a Trump veto could delay those plans.

The president has a long history of grumbling about funding fights, including calls for a "good" government shutdown.

If Trump does veto the bill, it would almost ensure the federal government would enter a partial shutdown at the end of Friday. According to congressional research, 800,000 federal employees would either be forced to work without pay or be furloughed in the event of a shutdown.

Given the risks and the potential political disaster of forcing a shutdown just days before Christmas, Trump appeared to support the CR on Wednesday. But Trump has received mounting pressure from conservatives and other allies.

The current funding fight is more consequential for Trump than previous confrontations since the incoming Democratic House majority likely means there will be almost zero chance for border-wall funding over the next two years. Trump threatened on Thursday to stymie all Democratic legislation if they do not provide funding for the wall.

This is almost an exact replay of what happened earlier when Trump had struck a deal to exchange a 10 year extension on DACA for border wall funding.

"The Democrats, who know Steel Slats (Wall) are necessary for Border Security, are putting politics over Country," he tweeted. "What they are just beginning to realize is that I will not sign any of their legislation, including infrastructure, ["If they don't give me my wall, I'll let all the bridges fall down! That'll show 'em!" ]unless it has perfect Border Security. U.S.A. WINS!"

A slew of hardline conservatives have called for the president to veto the CR. Members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of ultra-conservative members, used a series of speeches on Wednesday to plead with Trump to veto the bill.

"If you veto this bill, we'll be there, more importantly, the American people will be there," said Rep. Mark Meadows, the Freedom Caucus Chair. "They'll be there to support you. Let's build the wall and make sure we do our job in Congress."

In addition, many pro-Trump media members, such as Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, called on the president to veto the bill. [This is the the heart of it; Trump goes into panic mode when he sees the folks who have been making their living pandering to the xenophobes, racists and know-nothings in his base longer than he has, slamming him.

It's almost an exact replay of a few months ago when Trump had a deal to get an additional 25 billion for border security in exchange for agreeing to a 10 year DACA extension, and then he blew it up when he saw Coulter, Limbaugh and Co., turning on him...Trump knows he's going to need the hardcore nativists in his corner for the coming Impeachment battle, so he wont do anything that risks alienating them... ]

Trump torpedoes funding bill over border wall

Washington (CNN)A holiday government shutdown appeared more likely on Thursday after President Donald Trump informed House Republicans he would refuse to accept a stop-gap measure -- already passed by the Senate -- that doesn't include funds for his long-promised border wall.

What was once a deal to avoid a Christmas partial shutdown was torpedoed Thursday by conservatives and Trump, who unleashed fury at another agreement that stops short of providing the $5 billion the President has demanded for the border.

It was a closing burst of wrath in the final days of the Republican-majority House. If Trump cannot secure the money he is demanding for the wall now, it's unlikely he will see a spending bill that meets his requirement for at least two years as Democrats assume control.

The uncertainty sent lawmakers scrambling to devise a solution that could keep funds flowing to some government agencies after Friday's deadline. It's not clear if there are enough votes in the House for a bill that would include the $5 billion in border wall funding; in the Senate, where any measure will require 60 votes to clear procedural hurdles, there are almost certainly not enough votes.

Stewing at the White House, Trump ranted on Twitter that he'd been down a similar road earlier this year, only to find himself again in the same position. His press secretary said he wouldn't move forward without the billions in funding for "steel slats or a wall."

Econoline wrote:P.S. All the Roomers say that the Boarder Wall is a silly idea.

Scooter wrote:Uh, you might want to ask the Chinese how well their wall kept out the Mongols.



He knows tech better than anyone? Jesus H. Christ pictured on a slice of baloney, and yet the base will lap it up.

Trump says 'Democrats now own the shutdown' just 10 days after declaring he was 'proud to shut down the government'



Now that a government shutdown appears to be imminent, President Donald Trump is trying to shift responsibility.

In a tweet on Friday, just hours before the federal government is set to enter a partial shutdown, the president attempted to point a finger at Democrats for the standoff over border-wall funding.

"The Democrats now own the shutdown!" the president said.

That sentiment is vastly different than Trump's declaration during a meeting with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi at the White House just 10 days ago. In that meeting, Trump put the possibility of a shutdown entirely on his shoulders.

"I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck, because the people of this country don't want criminals, and people that have lots of problems, and drugs pouring into our country," Trump said. "So I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I'm not going to blame you for it — the last time you shut it down, it didn't work. I will take the mantle of shutting it down. And I'm going to shut it down for border security."

“A shutdown falls on the President’s lack of leadership. He can’t even control his party and get people together in a room. A shutdown means the President is weak.” - Donald J. Trump, 2013

ex-khobar Andy wrote:

Econoline wrote:P.S. All the Roomers say that the Boarder Wall is a silly idea.

Not many people are going to get that, Econo. It's a bit of an inn joke.

wesw wrote:unfortunately for the dems,... blah, blah, blah, talking point, talking point, talking point, spin, spin, spin

Mueller investigation will not stall if government shuts down

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election would continue unimpeded in the event of a government shutdown at midnight Friday.

The special counsel’s office is “funded from a permanent indefinite appropriation and would be unaffected in the event of a shutdown,” a Justice Department spokesman told The Hill.

Lord Jim wrote:

wesw wrote:unfortunately for the dems,... blah, blah, blah, talking point, talking point, talking point, spin, spin, spin