The threat of an impending government shutdown may reflect poorly on Republicans' ability to govern, according to many Americans, but that doesn't mean President Donald Trump will admit he's worried about it.
"We'll see what happens. If there's a shutdown, there's a shutdown," Trump told Reuters when discussing the possibility that the government will be unable to continue funding itself within the next few days. (That crisis has since been diverted at the last minute.) While Trump acknowledged that a shutdown would be a "very negative thing," he insisted that his administration was prepared to cope the temporary suspension of services and payments by the federal government should a shutdown come to pass.
Of course, Trump hasn't been nearly as casual about the prospect of a shutdown on his Twitter account, where he has taken multiple opportunities to lay preemptive blame at the feet of the Democrats.
On top of the possibility that he will preside over a government shutdown despite his party controlling both houses of Congress, President Trump also faces humiliation in the form of his latest effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
On Thursday House Republican leaders decided not to put a revised version of the Obamacare bill on the floor, after realizing that they did not have the votes to pass it. "We’re still educating members. We’ve been making great progress. As soon as we have the votes, we’ll vote on it," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California told reporters.
[jwplayer file="http://media.salon.com/2017/04/849c761fc0a97722709da3e2b8d30f1c.mp4" image="http://media.salon.com/2017/04/97217aad9735a0d151e708f60dadd699-1280x720.png"][/jwplayer]
Shares