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Bloomberg
President Donald Trump renewed a threat to close down the federal government when current funding runs out in September if immigration reforms and funding for a wall on the US border with Mexico aren’t forthcoming.
“We may have to close up our country to get this straight,†Trump said during an event in Cleveland focused on the benefits of the 2017 Republican tax overhaul. People in the US illegally are exploiting a “catch and release†policy, Trump said.
The president made similar comments on a potential shutdown during a rally in Michigan a week ago, and in a Twitter message described the southern US border as under siege. “Congress must act now to change our weak and ineffective immigration laws. Must build a Wall,†Trump tweeted.
Trump also said that the US is “going to have to†rework its trade relationship with China. “It can’t go on that way,†he said, adding “don’t let anyone ever tell you that trade deficits are OK.â€
A high-level delegation from Trump’s administration just returned from a visit to Beijing, part of a broader attempt to stave off a trade war between the world’s two
biggest economies.
Trump was expected to meet with members of the team.
Election Focus
The president has done a series of events this year aimed at touting the tax law, almost exclusively in states where Democratic senators face tough re-election races.
After stops last month in West Virginia and Florida, Trump’s visit to Ohio comes days before that state’s upcoming Senate contest.
Representative Jim Renacci, whom Trump has endorsed, is seeking the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary. The GOP winner will face incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in November.
Trump has lamented the slim margin Republicans hold in the Senate, where they control 51 out of 100 seats.