‘Democrats want to shut government down,’ says US President Trump on looming shutdown battle

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) accused Democrats of being responsible for a possible government shutdown.

Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Trump said, “Democrats want to shut [government] down, and they want to shut it down because they want to give billions — ultimately trillions— of dollars to illegal migrants.”

“These people are crazy… They’re the ones that are shutting down government,” he added.

Amid these accusations, cracks are beginning to appear in the Senate Democratic caucus over whether to oppose a seven-week clean government funding bill passed by the House, The Hill reported, as Trump’s threat to lay off thousands of federal workers shifts the political calculus on a potential shutdown.

According to The Hill, Senate