Dec. 21 (UPI) — President Donald Trump, celebrating the House for passing a spending bill that includes more than $5 billion for a border wall, said Friday he won’t sign anything to avert a government shutdown unless the Senate authorizes money for the barrier.
Trump said as much in a series of tweets Friday morning, calling for the Senate to abandon its filibuster rules and reach for the “nuclear option” to get the bill passed. Such a move would allow Republicans in the chamber to effectively overrule Democratic opposition and pass the bill.
“[Majority Leader] Mitch [McConnell], use the Nuclear Option and get it done! Our Country is counting on you,” Trump wrote.
“Even President Ronald Reagan tried for 8 years to build a Border Wall, or Fence, and was unable to do so. Others also have tried. We will get it done, one way or the other!”
Trump thanked Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines for pushing the nuclear option on social media.
“Thank you Steve Daines for being willing to go with the so-called nuclear option in order to win on DESPERATELY NEEDED Border Security! Have my total support, Trump wrote.
The House voted 217-185 late Thursday to pass its own short-term funding bill to keep the government operating until February. The Senate passed its own version a day earlier, which had no money for the wall.
Both chambers must agree on a bill to get it to Trump for his signature before midnight Friday to avoid a shutdown. Most experts think it unlikely the Senate will agree to set aside money for Trump’s wall.
“The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED,” Trump wrote in another tweet. “If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People don’t want Open Borders and Crime.
“The Democrats now own the shutdown!”
Trump criticized House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi over the House vote after she’d said previously the chamber didn’t have enough votes to pass a bill with wall money. Pelosi is the front-runner to take over as House speaker next month when Democrats assume control of the lower chamber.
“Soon to be Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, last week live from the Oval Office, that the Republicans didn’t have the votes for Border Security. Today the House Republicans voted and won, 217-185. Nancy does not have to apologize. All I want is GREAT BORDER SECURITY,” he wrote.
“The fact is there is nothing else’s that will work, and that has been true for thousands of years. It’s like the wheel, there is nothing better.
“I know tech better than anyone, & technology on a Border is only effective in conjunction with a Wall. Properly designed and built Walls work, and the Democrats are lying when they say they don’t. In Israel the Wall is 99.9 percent successful. Will not be any different on our Southern Border! Hundreds of $Billions saved.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer answered Trump’s accusation Friday that a government shutdown would be the fault of Democrats.
“You own the shutdown — your own words,” he tweeted. “The Senate UNANIMOUSLY passed a bipartisan solution to avoid a shutdown. Then you threw another temper tantrum and convinced the House to ignore that compromise.”
