Trump calls DHS funding fight a ‘Democrat shutdown,’ says GOP has ‘nothing’ to do with it

President Donald Trump on Monday blamed Democrats for a partial government shutdown because Republicans and Democrats have yet to reach an agreement on Department of Homeland Security funding, while also touting what he sees as gains for his administration on issues such as the economy and crime.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump boasted of “big fiscal numbers” such as low inflation and falling fuel prices.

“You’ve seen great fiscal numbers, low inflation, very low inflation. Prices are down. They’re down a lot. Gasoline is under $2 per gallon in many places, which no one expected to see,” Trump said, although the national average for gasoline is near $3 and state averages still remain above $2 in areas with the cheapest fuel.

DHS SHUTDOWN AS JOHNSON SCHEDULES GOP DIVISION ON STOP SOLUTIONS

“But I did it with the initial drill, baby, drill phrase. Prices are falling very strongly. So are other high-end commodities like gasoline, oil and gas… We inherited a mess and brought our country back,” he continued.

When asked about the partial shutdown regarding DHS funding, Trump said it was a “Democratic shutdown” that “had nothing to do with Republicans” and accused Democrats of being bothered by falling crime numbers, which he also credited, even though he showed that homicides and other violent crimes were on the decline in major cities before returning to the White House.

“This is a Democrat shutdown. This has nothing to do with the Republicans, and the Democrats are shut down. They’re unhappy that the crime numbers are so good. They’re very unhappy that there’s a movement,” he said.

Republicans and Democrats have yet to reach an agreement on funding for the Department of Homeland Security to end the partial government shutdown. (Washington Post via Demetrius Freeman/Getty Images)

Democrats have demanded tighter oversight and reforms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the fatal shooting of two US citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.

“They don’t want voter ID because they want to rig the election,” the president added, referring to the Protecting American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) Act, passed by the House of Representatives, which would impose stricter requirements for voters in federal elections to prove their citizenship through photo identification and other documents such as a passport or birth certificate; It’s a measure Democrats resist including in long-term funding bills.

“They don’t want mail-in ballots. They want to end mail-in ballots, and there’s something else: [Republicans] They insist on proof of citizenship. And Democrats don’t want to issue citizenship papers. “They don’t want to give voter ID,” he said.

PARTIAL SHUTDOWN CONTINUES AS DHS FUNDING TALKS STOPPED

President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for the partial government shutdown. (Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Still, Trump said he was willing to meet with Democrats to discuss a plan to end the shutdown, but emphasized that “we need to protect our law enforcement” and that immigration officials are “doing a great job” removing “criminals that are brought in.”

The president also said that if the shutdown continues, he will still deliver his State of the Union address, which is scheduled for next week.