Trump blames Democrats for possible shutdown after saying he'd own it
President Trump is attempting to shift blame for the possible government shutdown onto Democrats after explicitly saying he wouldn't.
Trump on Friday tweeted about the fact that the House of Representatives recently passed a spending bill that includes the $5 billion he has demanded for border wall funding. But this has always been a non-starter in the Senate, where it can only pass with Democratic votes. Another bill that didn't include the $5 billion for the wall already passed the Senate, but Trump refused to sign it.
Trump's refusal to sign that original stopgap bill is what triggered this shutdown standoff, but on Friday he suggested Democrats in the Senate will be the ones to blame for a shutdown if it happens.
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Just last week, Trump said during a meeting with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that if a shutdown were to happen, he wouldn't blame them. "I am proud to shut down the government for border security," Trump told Schumer. "... I will be the one to shut it down. I'm not going to blame you for it."
