Trump Flirts With a Government Shutdown Republicans Are Racing to Avoid
- President said to ask advisers about pre-election shutdown
- Congressional leaders have urged Trump to delay confrontation
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President Donald Trump is asking advisers whether it would be good politics to provoke an October government shutdown fight over money for his border wall, even though Republicans in Congress say a closure before the midterm elections in November would backfire.
Republican leaders thought they had persuaded Trump weeks ago to delay any such confrontation until later in the year, but the president raised the prospect of an earlier showdown in conversations in recent days with at least three aides and outside advisers, according to people familiar with the matter.