Trump isolated in decision to shut government to get funding for wall
US President Donald Trump is finding himself increasingly isolated less than a week ahead of a potential shutdown of the federal government if Congress does not provide $5 billion to build his proposed wall along the US-Mexico border.
Trump said last week he would be "proud" to have a partial shutdown to get Congress to support funding for the border wall. However, even fellow Republicans in Congress have acknowledged that the president has backed himself into a corner by his demand.
Republicans are privately expressing frustration that the president has weakened the GOP’s negotiating position with the Democrats.
There is also a perception within the party that Trump might not be worried about the fallout if his base delights in the dispute with Democrats.
“Trump will get the blame, but he won’t care,” one GOP lawmaker told The Hill. “And the base will love him for it.”
Democratic leaders have proposed no more than $1.6 billion for border security measures, but not a wall, as outlined in a bipartisan Senate bill.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York, insisted Sunday that Trump "is not going to get the wall in any form."
"President Trump should understand, there are not the votes for the wall in the House or the Senate," Schumer said on NBC’s Meet the Press. "Even the House, which is a majority Republican, they don't have the votes for his $5 billion wall plan.”
The House of Representatives is taking an extended weekend break, returning Wednesday night just two days ahead of the shutdown deadline. The decision is seen as an indication that Republicans do not believe Trump has the vote in Congress.
The Senate returns Monday after a three-day absence.
Trump, who needs Democratic votes for passage, has told Democrats that he would take a look at their proposal.
Both parties on Capitol Hill have suggested that the president must make the next move to resolve the impasse.
Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller said the Trump administration will "absolutely" shut down the government over the border wall https://t.co/IXGU6rvA1N pic.twitter.com/k658UDvhAP
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 16, 2018
Meanwhile, a new poll has shown that a majority of Americans are opposed to a government shutdown if Congress does not act to fund Trump's border wall.
By a double-digit margin, 54 percent to 29 percent, those surveyed in a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll say they reject the idea.
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