In Talks With GOP, Trump Wouldn’t Commit To Avoiding Shutdown Over Wall

on July 31, 2018 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 31: Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) talks with reporters following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol July 31, 2018 in Washington, D... WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 31: Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) talks with reporters following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol July 31, 2018 in Washington, DC. Reacting to President Donald Trump's threat to shut down the government, Shelby said, ÒItÕs mind-boggling to me anyone would say they were going to shut down the government if I didnÕt get my way.Ó (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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During a meeting with Republican leadership on Thursday, President Trump indicated he wanted to avoid a government shutdown, but would not commit to signing a funding bill that didn’t include the $5 billion he wants for his border wall, The Washington Post reported.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) told reporters after the funding meeting on Thursday that Trump was “noncommittal” — in the Post’s words — about how he wanted funding negotiations to proceed in the coming weeks.

“He didn’t say, ‘I’m going to keep the government open,’ We didn’t ask him that question,” Shelby told reporters Thursday, according to the Post. “We talked about avoiding a shutdown. … He seemed to agree with that.”

According to a person familiar with discussions who spoke to the Post, Trump’s staff has told him that he might not get the full $5 billion he’s hoping for, given the legislation’s passage will hinge on Democratic support in the Senate, according to the Post. Trump followed Republican leadership’s advice by not shutting down the government over wall funding before midterms, a move that Trump was openly unhappy about. 

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