Trump Threatens Government Shutdown if Congress Fails to Approve Border Wall Funding
As the migrant caravan nears the Southern border of the United States, Donald Trump has continued his demonizing rhetoric, continually asserting the caravan as a direct threat to national security. He has used this rhetoric to justify a government shutdown, stating that if Congress does not approve of funding to construct the border wall, funding which originally Trump vehemently declared would be provided by Mexico instead of U.S. taxpayers, “this would be a very good time to do a shutdown.”
Though funding for many federal departments, including the Pentagon, currently extends through the current fiscal year, which ends September 30, the funding of several agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), expires on December 7. This expiration date leaves the door open for the possibility that if a new spending bill is not agreed upon, there is a potential for a partial government shutdown. Though the timing of the threat seems to contradict Trump’s sentiments, it may incentivize a rapid resolution. As the holiday season approaches, the disruption of government services in addition to the withholding of pay for thousands of government workers would lead to wide ranging consequences to taxpaying citizens.
For more information, view the full article from The Hill.
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