Mulvaney: “Deal To Avoid Government Shutdown Could Come Today” But Won’t Due To Border Wall

Eventually, but at a later date so we can get started early, Mexico will be paying, in some form, for the badly needed border wall.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2017

With president Trump optimistic, but already laying plans for a possible government shutdown – which incidentally would take place on the symbolic 100th day of Trump’s administration, incentivizing Democrats to be especially confrontational – White House budget director Mick Mulvaney tried to talk down concerns of an imminent government closure, and said talks between Republicans and Democrats in Congress could reach an agreement to avoid a government shutdown as early as Sunday.
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“The negotiations are ongoing and there’s no reason we can’t have an agreement there as early as today,” Mulvaney said in an interview on Fox News Sunday.
Well, there is a reason, and a pretty big one at that: Mulvaney conceded that negotiations continue to be stuck on Trump’s demand that Congress include $1.5 billion to begin a building a wall along the U. S.-Mexico border, an item Democrats view as a deal breaker. Trump has repeatedly said he wanted a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants.
In two tweets on Sunday, Trump touch on this particularly sensitive topic, saying that “the Democrats don’t want money from budget going to border wall despite the fact that it will stop drugs and very bad MS 13 gang members” and added that “Eventually, but at a later date so we can get started early, Mexico will be paying, in some form, for the badly needed border wall.”

This post was published at Zero Hedge on Apr 23, 2017.