WASHINGTON, December 11, 2018 — An Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and Congressional Democratic leaders on Tuesday turned into a shouting match which ended with Trump vowing to shut down the government if Congress does not vote to fully fund a wall along the US-Mexico border.
“If we don’t get what we want one way or the other…I will shut down the government,” Trump said.
The meeting began amicably, with Trump holding forth on the bipartisan criminal justice bill that is currently awaiting passage in the Senate. But as the topic shifted to border security it devolved into a contentious shouting match between the president, Schumer, and Pelosi, who is the leading candidate to be Speaker of the House when the 116th Congress convenes in January.
Pelosi and Schumer implored Trump to prevent a partial government shutdown by accepting one of the compromise proposals currently under discussion among House and Senate leaders.
Trump has already signed legislation representing five of the 12 spending bills Congress must pass each year, and both compromise proposals would represent the remaining seven spending bills, which fund parts of the government under the jurisdiction of the House and Senate Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Financial Services-General Government, Interior-Environment, State Department-Foreign Operations, Transportation-Housing and Urban Development, and Homeland Security appropriations subcommittees.
One of the proposals suggested by Schumer and Pelosi would have Trump sign a so-called Continuing Resolution, which would continue funding the government for the next year at last year’s funding levels. The other would see him sign legislation representing six of the seven remaining appropriations bills to fund the government for the next fiscal year, along with a continuing resolution to fund the Department of Homeland Security at current funding levels.
Trump initially suggested that any shutdown over wall funding would be the fault of the 10 Senate Democrats whose votes are needed to cut off debate on legislation, but then changed his tune by vowing to shut down the government “if we don’t get what we want.”
“I am proud to shut down the government for border security,” he told Schumer. “I will take the mantle of shutting down. and I’m going to shut it down for border security.”
Speaking to reporters after the Oval Office meeting ended, Schumer said Trump’s “temper tantrum” will not be successful in getting him his wall.
He noted that of the $1.3 billion included for border security in last year’s funding bill, less than six percent has been used.
“They haven’t even spent last year’s money and now they’re demanding much, much more,” he said.