WASHINGTON, D.C. — All in all, it's all about the wall, according to President Trump.
"I am proud to shut down the government for border security," he said this week during a meeting with Congressional Democrats.
Now, the budget deadline is almost here. Currently, a partial government shutdown could occur at midnight on Friday, December 21.
Trump has been demanding at least $5 billion as a downpayment on the wall, along with the U.S -Mexico border, but Democrats have said they won't go above $1.3 billion.
Although the military would be spared in this shutdown, thanks to prior budget agreements, at risk is funding for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Interior, State, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
"This would be a completely self-inflicted wound perpetrated by one person, the President, who has been cheerleading for a shut-down," said Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine.
He said his state would be especially hard-hit.
"There's a sizable impact on Virginia," he said. "We're talking about almost 400,000 employees. I don't have the Virginia-specific numbers, but we know Virginia is affected really more than any other state when there's a shut-down of this kind."
Christopher Newport University political analyst Quentin Kidd said, at this point, a shutdown is all but inevitable.
"Both sides are going to take it right to the edge, if not over the edge," he said. "Those who suffer are you and I, and everybody else in Hampton Roads that rely even remotely on any kind of government spending, and a lot of us do in this region."
There have been two other brief government shutdowns this year. One shutdown lasted three days, and the other was five hours. How long this one could last is anyone's guess.
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