Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said President Donald Trump will get the blame if the government is forced to shut down because of a fight over funds for a border wall, The Hill reported.
"If the president goes down that path and insists on the wall or shut down the government, which he said back in September, make no mistake about it, a government shutdown will fall entirely, entirely on his shoulders," he said on Tuesday.
The Hill noted Trump has demanded that his proposed wall along the Mexican border be included in any immigration deal. Democrats are seeking a replacement for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Trump had announced last year that he was ending the program, which protects immigrants brought to the U.S. as kids from being deported, the website said. But the president gave Congress time to come up with a replacement.
The Hill reported the wall has emerged as the biggest obstacle in getting a government funding bill passed. Congressional lawmakers have until Jan. 19 to prevent a shutdown.
"President Trump is fighting for an empty symbol rather than smart policy that will actually produce better security at our borders," Schumer said. "A medieval wall that you can't see through across the length of the southern border will not make us any safer."
Trump is asking for $18 billion to build and repair about 700 miles of border structures.
On Twitter, Schumer noted the money could be used to hire more Customs and Border Protection agents and upgrade surveillance along the border. He also posted a video reminding people Trump had promised Mexico was paying for the wall.
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