Trump After Dark: Shutdown Maybe Shutdown edition

Congress is on the verge of a budget deal. President Donald Trump is implying he’d be happy to shut it all down if he doesn’t get his way.

The House passed another stopgap funding bill that could avert a government shutdown as talks continued positively toward a broader, long-term agreement, POLITICO’s John Bresnahan, Jennifer Schultes and Sarah Ferris report . The House bill boosts Pentagon spending over the next eight months but only funds non-military programs until March 23, and at their current levels.


That approach is almost certain to be blocked in the Senate. But there’s optimism:

“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer met privately on (today) to discuss lifting stiff spending caps as part of the short-term funding package, according to sources in both parties briefed on the talks. The top four congressional leaders believe they are close to clinching a budget deal that significantly boosts defense and domestic spending and ends the cycle of temporary funding measures.”

What does President Trump think of the budget talks? He said he’d welcome a shutdown — if Congress doesn’t include border security measures in any deal.

“If we don’t get rid of these loopholes where killers are allowed to come into our country and continue to kill ... if we don’t change it, let’s have a shutdown,” Trump said at a White House roundtable focused on the gang MS-13. “We’ll do a shutdown, and it’s worth it for our country. I’d love to see a shutdown if we don’t get this stuff taken care of.”

Elsewhere in President Trump’s orbit:

YUP, IT’S BASTILLE ON HIS MIND: The White House confirmed that President Trump asked the military to explore the idea of a military parade — that came after a Washington Post report that President Trump wanted a parade on par with the massive, French Bastille Day celebration which he attended last year.

ROSE TO THE OCCASION: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein met with President Trump today to discuss Democrats’ classified memo rebutting the Republicans memo on the Russia investigation.

JUST TREASON THEM: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says President Trump was clearly joking when he accused Democrats of treason for not cheering him at the State of the Union. (CNN)

FLU OVER HER HEAD: As a flu epidemic rages , a Trump campaign evangelical adviser is sparking an uproar after she claimed that Christian faith made people immune to the flu and that “Jesus himself is our flu shot.”

TAKING STOCK: Before yesterday’s historic drop, President Trump mentioned the stock market roughly once every two days.

CONWAY, OR ANOTHER: White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s “opioid cabinet” has effectively frozen out drug policy professionals as she has taken control of President Trump’s policy.

There you have it. You’re caught up on the Trump administration. Tuesday is a wrap.

