President Trump's budget blueprint has spurred talks of a potential government shutdown next month.
President Trump's budget blueprint has spurred talks of a potential government shutdown next month.
As The Hill notes, "...both parties are preemptively pointing fingers over who would be responsible if Congress misses a deadline in April to avoid a government shutdown."
By April 28, Congress will have to pass the spending bill to fund the government for the remaining part of fiscal year that ends in September, notes Vox.
A letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell by some Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, says, in part, “If Republicans insist on inserting poison pill riders such as defunding Planned Parenthood, building a border wall, or starting a deportation force, they will be shutting down the government and delivering a severe blow to our economy.”
Beyond the April deadline, Trump's 2018 budget priorities call for more defense and border spending while reducing cost at many agencies.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Mick Mulvaney, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the president "wants more money for defense; more money for border enforcement; more money for law enforcement generally; more money for the vets; more money for school choice."
The offset, the Washington Post notes, would come from "reductions of more than 20 percent at the Agriculture, Labor and State departments and of more than 30 percent at the Environmental Protection Agency."
