White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that President Donald Trump isn’t advocating for a government shutdown — though Trump said “I’d love to see a shutdown” if his demands weren’t met earlier in the afternoon.
The government will shut down if Congress doesn’t pass additional funding by the end of the day on Thursday.
Sanders said in a press briefing, though, that “if the Democrat party is going to continue to threaten a shutdown because they won’t include responsible immigration reforms, including fixing MS-13 loopholes and other issues, then the President welcomes that fight.”
“It’s a fight we won last time, and it’s one we’re very confident that we would win again,” she continued. “But let me repeat: Our goal is to get a two-year budget deal and to also get a deal on immigration, which we have laid out.”
“Isn’t the President encouraging a shutdown?” one reporter asked, referring to the President’s remarks.
“The President’s encouraging people to do their jobs,” Sanders responded. “The President’s encouraging them to get a deal on the budget, as he’s laid out — a long-term budget deal that actually helps our military instead of doing these short-term deals. That’s what he’s advocated for all along, and the President is encouraging them to do their jobs and come to an agreement on immigration, particularly on the four places that he’s outlined that have to happen in any piece of legislation.”
Asked if Trump would rather see a shutdown than a short-term spending deal, Sanders said, “we are not advocating for the shutdown.”
“That’s the fault of the Democrats not being willing to do their jobs,” she continued. “The President wants a long-term deal and he wants a deal on immigration. And we hope that Democrats will come to the table and get those things done.”
