Dem Sen Threatens Gov’t Shutdown, Claims With Straight Face Trump Is ‘Already Closing It’

Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons suggested he would vote to shut down the government at the end of September, claiming President Donald Trump has given Senate Democrats no choice but to support a lapse in government funding.

Coons is the latest Senate Democrat to threaten his support for a partial government shutdown to protest President Donald Trump’s agenda, including the White House’s recent request to claw back billions in foreign aid funds. The fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 and Senate Democrats have signaled they are willing to plunge the country into a government shutdown in part to show the party’s base they are fighting harder against Trump.

“Trump and his allies in Congress have already been shutting down whole parts of the government,” Coons told NPR in an interview on Tuesday. “If they continue with those efforts, I won’t support keeping the government open September 30, because they’re already closing it in ways that are illegal.”

The Trump administration asked Congress on Friday to rescind $5 billion in unused funding for foreign aid and U.S. peacekeeping operations. Democrats have blasted the president over the “pocket rescission” because the administration intends to cancel the funding regardless of whether Congress approves the request. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has declared