Trump is back to demanding a government shutdown

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

published 20 December 2018

A government shutdown just got a lot more likely.

President Trump says he will not sign a spending resolution passed by the Senate that would prevent a government shutdown, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters after a meeting with the president, per NBC News. The bill would extend funding at its current levels for two months, but it would mean Trump would not be getting the $5 billion he has demanded for a border wall. After threatening to shut down the government if he didn't receive that $5 billion, Trump appeared to begin walking that demand back this week, sparking outrage among his supporters.

So Trump has come back to his original demand and is refusing to sign a funding bill without the $5 billion that he is almost certain not to get. "The president said what the Senate sent over is just kicking the can down the road," McCarthy said Thursday. Ryan said that Republicans are now going to work on "adding border security" to the funding bill in hopes of keeping the government open. "We believe there's still time," McCarthy added. The deadline to come to some sort of an agreement is midnight on Friday.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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