President Trump said on Thursday that Democrats will be held responsible if government funds run out this week, suggesting that the closure could delay GOP's efforts to extend the expired tax cuts.
“They do the shutdown and in the end, it could lead to very high taxes as we're talking about the shutdown,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“We cut taxes on people, and if we don't open, Democrats are stopping all these good things we have,” he added.
If lawmakers do not reach an agreement on the funding bill, the government will be closed on Saturday. Earlier this week, the House passed an ongoing resolution on GOP contrast that funds the government for six months.
At least eight Senate Democrats must vote for that suspension along with all Republicans to pass through the upper room and head to Trump's desk.
Some Democrats have alleged that the GOP bill cut down on critical services and declared in the Senate “dead on arrival.”
“If there's a closure, it's just for the Democrats and they'll really take a lot away from our country and the people in our country.”
Trump and Congressional Republicans are working to advance major policy bills by the end of the year, including an extension to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Employment Act (TCJA).
Several TCJA provisions expire at the end of the year unless Trump signs the bill to extend them, including reductions in personal income tax rates.
