WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump is meeting with Republican House members at noon Thursday as the fate of legislation to avoid a government shutdown hangs in the balance.
At issue is the president’s demand for billions of dollars for his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says that “at this moment, the president does not want to go further” on a proposed budget deal “without border security, which includes steel slats or a wall.”
She says Trump is continuing to consider his options.
If there’s no deal, there could be a partial shutdown at the end of Friday.
Trump already has lashed out at GOP leaders in Congress over the lack of wall funding in a short-term spending bill that passed the Senate on Wednesday. Trump’s come under criticism from conservative supporters over the issue.
GOP leaders canceled a morning news conference as rank-and-file lawmakers indicated opposition to the stopgap spending measure