President Donald Trump on Tuesday appeared to call for a government shutdown later this year in response to a bipartisan spending deal that looks set to pass Congress this week.
In tweets, the president contended that the bipartisan agreement — which funds the government through Sept. 30 — shows that Republicans should get more senators elected or change the Senate’s rules so they can push spending through with only a majority vote, rather than 60 votes. He then wrote that the country “needs a good ‘shutdown’ in September” to fix what he called a “mess.”
Earlier this year, Senate Republicans voted to end the filibuster on Supreme Court nominees, allowing them to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch with a majority vote. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he did not want to kill the 60-vote threshold needed to stop filibusters on most legislation, according to Politico.