Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is warning Republicans against attempting to fund a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico in an upcoming must-pass spending bill.
“If Republicans insist on inserting poison pill riders such as defunding Planned Parenthood, building a border wall, or starting a deportation force, they will be shutting down the government and delivering a severe blow to our economy,” Sen. Schumer said in a statement Monday, Bloomberg reports.
His assertion follows reports that the Trump administration is looking to strip funds from the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the U.S. Coast Guard in order to fund the wall. Schumer said in a separate statement Sunday that cutting money from those agencies to pay for the wall is a “pointless burden” and would make Americans less safe.
Schumer’s warning is setting up a high-stakes battle ahead of the late April spending deadline. The spending measure will need 60 votes in order to pass and getting there requires Democratic support. If the bill does not pass, the government could shut down on April 29.