The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Trump and his aides take hard line on border wall, as threat of government shutdown looms

April 23, 2017 at 1:22 p.m. EDT
Administration officials and lawmakers discuss funding for a border wall as the deadline for passing a government funding bill approaches. (Video: Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

President Trump and his top aides applied new pressure Sunday on lawmakers to include money for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border in a must-pass government funding bill, raising the possibility of a federal government shutdown this week.

In a pair of tweets, Trump attacked Democrats for opposing the wall and insisted that Mexico would pay for it “at a later date,” despite his repeated campaign promises not including that qualifier. And top administration officials appeared on Sunday morning news shows to press for wall funding, including White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, who said Trump might refuse to sign a spending bill that does not include any.