A local political analyst said he doesn't believe the government will shut down because of the border wall funding.
President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to force a federal shutdown if Congress doesn't provide funds for the border wall. Many GOP lawmakers are proving lukewarm about the project proposal.
NBC 7 spoke with John Dadian, a political analyst, who does not believe the president will actually carry out a government shutdown.
"They already received bids, people have already started to build prototypes – so it’s already underway. So, funding isn’t really the issue, the issue is political," said Dadian.
He believes this threat will just become fuel for the Democrats in the upcoming election. However, Dadian said if there was a shutdown, it would be a unique situation.
On Tuesday, President Trump visited Arizona for a rally, checked out the U.S. Border Patrol Yuma Office and spoke with U.S. Customs Border Protection (CBP) officials.
“The obstructionist Democrats would like us not to do it but believe me if we have to close down our government, we are building that wall,” said President Trump.
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The president talked about creating more jobs under his administration, along with addressing immigration and the border wall. He used public safety as an incentive to push the border wall project forward.
“As far as his demand that the wall has to be built for the funding budget to be passed, the votes just aren’t there in the senate. It’s realism," added Dadian.
When the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1, Congress must make a decision about whether to fund the border wall. Didian said Congress will likely push for a continuing resolution and vote on a budget by the end of the year.
