Trump: 'I'd Love' a Shutdown if Democrats Won't Deal

With the prospect of another government shutdown looming this week, President Trump entered the fray with some headline-making comments: “I’d love to see a shutdown if we can’t get this stuff taken care of,” Trump said, referring to his demands for tougher border protection. “If we have to shut it down because the Democrats don't want safety ... let's shut it down.” The president made the impromptu comments at a gathering of law enforcement officials at the White House, reports the Hill, which notes that they're in contrast to reports of progress between Democrats and Republicans on a deal to avert a shutdown at midnight Thursday.

As the Washington Post notes, both Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer earlier said they were optimistic about reaching a deal that would include big increases for the Pentagon and domestic programs. The House is expected to vote later Tuesday on legislation that Politico describes as the "opening salvo" in the bid to avert a shutdown. In his comments, Trump also seemed to reference the death over the weekend of an NFL player being blamed on an undocumented immigrant accused of drunken driving. “If we don’t get rid of these loopholes where killers are allowed to come into our country and continue to kill ... if we don’t change it, let’s have a shutdown."

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