Threats of government shutdown not helpful

It looks like a wall brawl is inevitable. President Trump continues to call for the construction of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. At a rally in Arizona this week, President Trump renewed his call for building the wall, and even threatened to shutdown the federal government if Congress doesn’t approve money to build it. That is shortsighted, and unnecessary. Forget for a minute that the wall is a bad idea, and that no matter what Trump says, Mexico isn’t going to pay for it. We don’t need to make threats of another government shutdown. House Speaker Paul Ryan and other top Republicans took issue with the President’s call for a government shutdown, calling it a mistake. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on getting a new federal budget approved. Fresh off their summer break, lawmakers are only now returning to work, and have only until Sept 30 to pass a spending bill and avoid a government shutdown. Only 12 legislative days are scheduled in September. And once again, it seems inevitable that whatever spending bill they pass will simply be another stopgap measure known as a continuing resolution. Money will continue to be spent at current levels, without regard for whether the money is being well spent. Congress needs to approve a new federal budget that spends our money wisely, doesn’t include money for a border wall, and doesn’t lead to another government shutdown.