Trump Calls for Government Shutdown to 'Fix Mess'

President appears to be upset about budget deal reached by Congress
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted May 2, 2017 1:18 PM CDT
Trump Calls for Government Shutdown to 'Fix Mess'
President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 2, 2017, during a ceremony to present the Commander-in-Chief trophy to the Air Force Academy football team.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

On Sunday, Democrats and Republicans in Congress reached a deal to fund the government—through September—and avoid a government shutdown, CNN reports. The last-second agreement to keep the government open appears to have upset at least one important person. "Our country needs a good 'shutdown' in September to fix mess!" the New York Times quotes President Trump as tweeting Tuesday. According to the Atlantic, Trump appears to be the first president ever to actually advocate for a shutdown; shutdowns are generally unpopular with the public because they lead to things like delayed benefit checks and closed national parks.

It appears Trump is upset because the funding bill negotiated by Congress doesn't include money for his border wall, gave more funding to the National Institutes of Health than border security, and didn't slash the budgets of the EPA and State Department. In another tweet, Trump sees two possible solutions: Elect more Republican senators in 2018—in order to beat the 60% filibuster threshold—or "change the rules now to 51%." Trump could actually cause a shutdown this week if he really wanted to by refusing to sign the funding bill, but he's said he'll sign it. The White House immediately contradicted Trump's tweets, saying the budget deal is a win for Trump and that Democrats are the ones who want the government to shut down. (More Donald Trump stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X