Trump Again Threatens Shutdown Over Wall Funding

President Trump during a rally in Michigan reiterated his threats not to accept a fiscal 2019 spending package that does not include funding for his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. 

In a speech to supporters, Trump touted the $1.6 billion appropriated for the wall in the omnibus spending bill approved in March and bemoaned that he was unable to secure more.

“We have $1.6 billion in this last budget, and just so you understand, we have to fund our military folks,” he said. “[Our] military was depleted and it was in trouble, and now we’re ordering brand new airplanes, brand new everything. We got $700 billion approved and next year $716 billion approved for our military, and we had to do it.”

Trump signaled that he would not accept a similar deal during the next round of budget negotiations, and said he would not sign a spending package for fiscal 2019 that does not provide more robust support for his planned border wall.

“We have to have borders, and we have to have them fast,” Trump said. “We need security and we need the wall, and we’re going to have it all. And again, the wall has started. We got $1.6 billion. We come up again on Sept. 28, and if we don’t get border security, we’ll have no choice. We’ll close down the country, because we need border security.”

Last year, Trump repeatedly said he would trigger a shutdown of federal agencies if Congress did not meet his demands for increased border security. But ultimately, he signed several continuing resolutions and the March omnibus legislation to keep the government open.