Trump, GOP leaders meet on border wall as shutdown looms

WASHINGTON – With a partial government shutdown looming in just 10 days, President Donald Trump is meeting with Republican leaders to hash out a spending plan that includes funding for Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico.

Trump is seeking $5 billion for the wall and has said it could be a “good time” for a shutdown if he doesn’t receive the funding he wants. The wall was a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign.

House Republicans approved $5 billion for the wall in a key committee, but a bipartisan bill in the Senate allocates just $1.6 billion for the border.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy called Tuesday’s White House meeting “very productive” and said Trump “is very solid with where he wants to go and what he needs to have a secure border.”