With President Donald Trump’s administration nearing its 100th day, White House officials and Republicans on Capitol Hill have yet to reach a deal on must-pass legislation to keep the government open past Friday. | Getty Trump accuses Democrats of wanting to shut down the government

President Donald Trump blasted Democrats on Thursday in a flurry of tweets, accusing them of angling for a government shutdown and suggesting that they are prioritizing protecting Obamacare over spending on defense and border security.

“I promise to rebuild our military and secure our border. Democrats want to shut down the government. Politics!” Trump wrote in one of six messages posted on Twitter within minutes of one another. “What's more important? Rebuilding our military — or bailing out insurance companies? Ask the Democrats,” he added in another.


With Trump’s administration nearing its 100th day, White House officials and Republicans on Capitol Hill have yet to reach a deal on must-pass legislation to keep the government open past Friday. And even as work continues on a government funding package, the White House has reportedly been pushing GOP leaders to schedule another vote on legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, the previous iteration of which failed to garner enough votes in the Republican-controlled House.

The president also expressed his desire to aid retired coal miners, whose pensions and health benefits will soon come to an end without federal aid. Trump, who embraced miners and the coal industry throughout his campaign, promised to tackle the issue of miner benefits — and to rebuild the military — if only the Democrats would get out of the way.

“I want to help our miners while the Democrats are blocking their health care,” Trump said. “Democrats jeopardizing the safety of our troops to bail out their donors from insurance companies. It is time to put #AmericaFirst.”

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Until the White House backed off its demands, money for Trump’s long-promised border wall had proven to be a sticking point in funding negotiations, with Democrats unwilling to allocate any money toward the controversial project. Taking direct aim at Senate Democrats who voted more than a decade ago in favor of border fence legislation that was much less ambitious than Trump’s border wall plan, the president wrote that “Democrats used to support border security — now they want illegals to pour through our borders.”

Upcoming summer vacations for many American families also offered Trump an opportunity to tighten the screws on Democrats.

“As families prepare for summer vacations in our National Parks — Democrats threaten to close them and shut down the government. Terrible!” he wrote.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's spokesman Matt House hit back at Trump, tweeting, "These shutdown tweets are desperate, unhinged, and show a startling lack of awareness for where the negotiations actually are."