Boxed In by Trump, GOP Hurtles Toward a Shutdown
Budget

Boxed In by Trump, GOP Hurtles Toward a Shutdown

KEVIN LAMARQUE

House Republicans considered moving forward with a bill that would have given President Trump the $5 billion he has demanded for border wall construction, but it looks like they’re leaving town Thursday without a vote on any kind of funding – or a strategy to get to one – in place.

The House is not scheduled to return until next Wednesday, just two days before a potential partial government shutdown, although Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said there may be a last-minute session for a funding vote early next week, The Hill reported.

Even if House Republicans could round up enough votes to pass a funding bill that provides $5 billion for the wall – and it’s still very much an open question about whether they could pull that off – it’s highly unlikely it would get through the Senate, where it would need help from Democrats.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) reiterated on Thursday that the wall funding Trump wants has little chance to get through his chamber. “I want to be crystal clear. There will be no additional appropriations to pay for the border wall. It’s done,” Schumer said.

That leaves Republicans facing a “nightmare scenario” in which Trump’s vow to shut down the government is fulfilled in the absence of a spending deal, The Washington Post said. “It looks like we could be headed down the road to nowhere,” Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-AL) said Thursday. “That’s what it looks like at the moment because we’ve got nine days to go.”

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