President Trump over the weekend once again refused to rule out a government shutdown come November, opening up the possibility he would not sign a spending measure just weeks from the next deadline.
Trump appeared to dismiss the possibility that he would hold up a spending bill solely due to ongoing impeachment proceedings, cutting off a reporter asking if that could happen by saying "no." It was unclear exactly what Trump was rejecting, though he went on to clarify he was not ruling out a shutdown. The current continuing resolution will fund agencies only through Nov. 21.
“I wouldn't commit to anything,” Trump said outside the White House on Sunday when asked if he would rule out a shutdown. “It depends on what the negotiation is.”
Last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., raised the possibility that Trump would block any spending measure from moving forward over unrelated issues.
"I'm increasingly worried that President Trump may want to shut down the government again because of impeachment," Schumer said. He always likes to create diversions. I hope and pray he won’t want to cause another government shutdown because it might be a diversion away from impeachment. It’s very worrisome to me.”
Lawmakers already appear resigned to another stopgap appropriations bill. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has said it would take a “miracle” to avoid another CR. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., Shelby’s counterpart in the House, has expressed a similar sentiment. Lawmakers have said the bill, which would keep agencies funded at their fiscal 2019 levels rather than provide the spending boosts that would result from regular appropriations due to a budget deal Trump signed i ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
