BORDER/CONGRESS/IMMIGRATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump reiterated his threat Monday [7-30-18] to shut down the government if Congress fails to pass new border security and immigration measures, but he declined to draw a line in the sand. Trump stuck to broad strokes as he warned he is willing to shut down the government if Congress does not take action, saying he would ‘always leave room for negotiation’ and offering no specific funding threshold or legislative marker…Trump’s comments came after he threatened on Twitter over the weekend to shut down the government if he does not receive funding for his campaign-promised border wall from Congress. While he spoke specifically about border wall funding on Twitter, Trump on Monday did not take a firm stance on his must-fund priorities. Instead, he simply ticked down a list of border security funding priorities and immigration reforms that he would like to see…Congressional Republican leaders are loathe to see a government shutdown shortly before the 2018 midterms and several Republican members of Congress have already publicly rebuked Trump’s threats, calling them counterproductive to their prospects of holding onto their majority in both chambers of Congress. But Trump has frequently pivoted to immigration as a rallying cry for his base and he and his political allies firmly believe immigration will be a galvanizing issue in the midterms.”
–Jeremy Diamond, “Trump repeats threat: ‘I would have no problem doing a shutdown’,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, July 30, 2018 3:33 pm