President Donald Trump said on Friday morning that if Senate Democrats vote against the House funding bill, which includes funding for his border wall, there will be 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!" Trump wrote in a tweet.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1076090986651099136
Trump's warning comes as the deadline, the end of day Friday, quickly approaches for Congress to pass a funding bill and avoid a partial government shutdown. One major issue of negotiation is Trump's proposed wall along the southern border, for which he has requested $5 billion. Democrats are resistant to Trump's wall and Democratic leaders urged Trump to agree to a one year resolution to keep border wall funding at the current $1.3 billion level or agree to $1.6 billion in funding.
On Wednesday, the Senate passed on its own short-term funding bill that would have funded the government through February, but Republicans in the House refused to vote on that bill.
House Republicans passed a funding bill that included the full $5 billion for the wall on Thursday night in a 217-185 vote. Now the pressure is on the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) to get the bill passed in the Senate. McConnell would need to convince eight Democrats to vote for the House bill in order to break the filibuster. In another tweet, Trump encouraged McConnell to use the "nuclear option," so only 51 votes are needed to pass the bill. The option has been used to confirm judicial nominees in recent history but not to pass legislation.
"Mitch, use the Nuclear Option and get it done! Our Country is counting on you!" Trump tweeted.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1076100620581511170
McConnell has said he does not support removing the filibuster for legislation. One Republican, Sen. Steve Daines (Mont.) has expressed support for using the option.
Democrats have grown adamant that Trump will not receive their support if any legislation contains funding for his border wall. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Trump will not get his wall, while House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said funding for the wall was a "non-starter."