WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump raised the odds of a government shutdown next month, tweeting that his differences with Democratic leaders over immigration policy could prevent a deal on a year-end spending package.
The president noted that he will be meeting Tuesday afternoon with "'Chuck and Nancy' ... about keeping government open and working." (He was referring to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. Also attending the White House meeting: House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.)
But Trump signaled any Democratic demands to use a shutdown-averting spending measure to make some of their immigration demands law could be a deal-breaker. His signature would be required to make any fiscal 2018 funding bill law.
"Problem is they want illegal immigrants flooding into our Country unchecked, are weak on Crime and want to substantially RAISE Taxes," Trump wrote, adding: "I don't see a deal!"
"We believe we'll get it in the omnibus bill, because there are both Republicans and Democrats who want it," Schumer said on Nov. 14.
"I fully intend that we will not leave here without the DREAM Act passing, without a DACA fix. And we have made that very clear," Pelosi said five days earlier in another example.
The president appeared to be laying down a major marker ahead of the afternoon meeting, aiming to try to take away from Schumer and Pelosi some of the leverage he handed them in September.
But while the two Democratic leaders had made bold demands about getting DACA legalized via the year-end spending bill, a senior Democratic leadership aide was more measured on Monday.
That source ticked off a list of demands the party will have for the funding bill, but mentioned insisting on DACA's inclusion only as a "maybe."
