President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. government “needs a good ‘shutdown’ in September,” voicing frustration over the congressional negotiations that led to the passage of a spending bill that lacked much of what he had wanted.
“The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate which are not there!” Trump said on Twitter. “We either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good ‘shutdown’ in September to fix mess!”
Lawmakers agreed last weekend on a spending bill that will fund the government through September, avoiding a shutdown by passing a bill that did not include many of Trump’s campaign promises, such as funding for the Mexican border wall and cuts to certain domestic programs.
The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate which are not there! We….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2017
either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good "shutdown" in September to fix mess!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2017
Trump’s suggested rule change would lower the number of votes needed to break a legislative filibuster. The number currently stands at 60, but there are only 52 Republicans in the Senate. Earlier this year, Republicans changed the Senate rules surrounding the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice in order to confirm Neil Gorsuch, now allowing nominees to be confirmed merely by a simple majority.