U.S. President Donald Trump is serious this time -- saying he could decide to shut down parts of the government in the coming days as he pushes for money to build his proposed border wall.
The House of Representatives is expected to pass a bill as early as Wednesday that would fund the Pentagon and a few other agencies for a year, combined with a stopgap measure to sustain the rest of the government for a short time. It would not, however, fund Trump's proposed barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border. The lack of cash for the project has frustrated Trump, who last week called the bill "ridiculous" and urged Republicans to "GET TOUGH!"
Since the Senate already approved the legislation, only the president's veto would stop it from becoming law if it gets through the House. Trump has waffled on the idea of shutting down the government in recent weeks. Government funding expires at 12:01 a.m. ET Monday.
The White House did not immediately respond when asked if Trump planned to sign the spending bill. He has already threatened to veto one spending bill earlier this year, before ultimately signing it.
A potential government shutdown would normally dominate the news in Washington. But Trump faces two other major crises this week: a hearing Thursday about a sexual assault allegation against his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, and a potential decision on the same day about whether to oust Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
