With just hours to go until a deadline to keep the US government funded, President Donald Trump has piled pressure on Democrats to approve funding for a border wall or face a government shutdown “that will last for a very long time”.
“The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED. If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People don’t want Open Borders and Crime!” Mr Trump tweeted.
Congress has until the end of Friday to pass seven funding bills that will keep the government fully open and avoid a shutdown over the holidays.
The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill that would include $5.7bn in funding for Mr Trump’s border wall but the bill is unlikely to garner enough votes in the Senate, where Republicans have a narrow majority.
Mr Trump also called on Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell to “use the Nuclear Option and get it done!”
The president accused Democrats of “trying to belittle the concept of a Wall, call it old fashioned” and insisted “there is nothing else that will work, and that has been true for thousands of years”. He pointed to Israel’s wall along the West Bank, arguing “In Israel the Wall is 99.9% successful. Will not be any different on our Southern Border! Hundreds of $Billions saved!”
If Mr Trump refuses to sign a spending bill, nine federal agencies would shut down, including the Department of Homeland Security, the state department and the justice department. National parks and museums run by the Department of the Interior would also be closed.
Uncertainty about a government shutdown spilled over to markets on Thursday adding to a sell-off this month that has left US equities eyeing their worst December showing since the 1930s. US stock futures were down again on Friday morning, tipping Wall Street to open in the red.
