President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that perhaps a future government shutdown would be good for the country.
Mr. Trump tweeted, “The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate which are not there! We…” he continued, “either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good ’shutdown’ in September to fix mess!”
The president was reacting to the less-than-enthusiastic reaction from Republicans over the bipartisan spending bill congressional leaders reached this week. The deal does not strip funding for Planned Parenthood and sanctuary cities, which many Republicans are not pleased with. It does, however, include increased funding for immigration enforcement.
Democrats emerged from the talks to say they couldn’t think of a major single area where they lost in the negotiations — and said Mr. Trump was reckless with his call for a shutdown showdown.
“This deal is exactly how Washington should work when it is bipartisan,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat. “Both parties negotiated and came to agreement.”
He said Mr. Trump’s call for a shutdown was “destructive.”
SEE ALSO: Paul Ryan defends spending deal as pro-GOP ‘game-changer’
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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