President Trump said Friday that he is “totally prepared for a very long shutdown” over funding for his proposed border wall.
“I hope we don’t, but we are totally prepared for a very long shutdown,” he told reporters at a bill signing.
{mosads}Trump added that the chances of a shutdown are “probably very good,” placing blame on Democrats.
Republicans in the House passed a funding bill Thursday night that would add more than $5 billion for the border to a seven-week continuing resolution. The Senate began taking an initial procedural vote on the House-passed bill Friday afternoon but quickly ran into problems.
The House bill is expected to fail in the Senate, where it needs to overcome a 60-vote filibuster. It’s not clear if every senator will be in Washington, D.C., for Friday’s vote.
Senate Democrats have vowed not to back a bill that includes funding for Trump’s border wall, increasing the likelihood of a partial government shutdown at midnight.
Trump commended his party in the House for passing the funding measure, calling it a “tremendous evening for the Republicans.”
“Now it’s up to the Democrats as to whether or not we have a shutdown tonight,” Trump added.
Trump’s comments came one week after he held a televised Oval Office meeting last week with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) saying he would own any shutdown over border security.
“I am proud to shut down the government for border security,” Trump told Democratic leaders last week. “I will take the mantle. I will shut it down, I’m not going to blame you for it.”