Trump says he would 'totally be willing' to shut down government if Congress doesn't pay for his border wall

Thomas Peter-Pool/Getty Images

President Donald Trump, here in November 2017, is calling for $5 billion in congressional funding for his promised border wall along the US-Mexico border.

• President Donald Trump is still seeking $5 billion for his border wall between the US and Mexico.
• Congress has to pass a spending bill to keep some government agencies funded by December 7.
• Democrats have so far said they would approve $1.6 billion, but not the rest.
• Trump told Politico he would "totally be willing" to trigger a government shutdown if he doesn't get the other $3.4 billion.
• He also said he isn't doing it "just for political gain," but the border wall is a "total winner."

President Donald Trump renewed his threat to shut down the government shutdown if Congress does not approve funding for his border wall.

Trump has asked for $5 billion for a wall between the US and Mexico, which Congress has yet to grant. Democratic leaders have said that they would approve $1.6 billion for the wall.

He told Politico on Tuesday that he would "totally be willing" to trigger a government shutdown if he doesn't get the full amount.

Getty/Brendon Hoffman

Congress is not approving $5 billion for Trump's border wall.

Lawmakers have to pass a spending bill, estimated at $312 billion, to keep government agencies funded by December 7. Affected agencies include the Department of Homeland Security, which polices the border.

Trump has threatened to shut down the government over the border wall in the past. He said earlier this month that "this would be a very good time to do a shutdown" over border security.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Trump tours US-Mexico border wall prototypes with border patrol agents. He called the wall a "total winner."

The president told Politico that the $5 billion would only pay for the physical wall, adding that "the number is larger for border security."

He added that the border wall, which he promised to build during his presidential campaign, was a "total winner."

"I don't do anything ... just for political gain," he said. "But I will tell you, politically speaking, that issue is a total winner."

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File photo

Migrants and US border patrol agents scuffled on Sunday, in which US agents fired tear gas at migrants and four agents were hit by rocks. Here Maria Lila Meza Castro, a 39-year-old migrant woman from Honduras, runs away from tear gas with her five-year-old twin daughters.

He added: "People look at the border, they look at the rush to the police, they look at the rock throwers and really hurting three people, three very brave Border Patrol folks - I think that it's a tremendous issue, but much more importantly, is really needed. So we have to have border security."

He was referring to a confrontation on Sunday between US border authorities and migrants at the border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego, California, when some rushed toward the US.

US authorities fired tear gas toward migrants, and four border patrol agents were hit by rocks, but did not suffer serious injuries. Trump's reference to the rock throwers' "really hurting three people" is not clear.

Read more: Border Patrol also used tear gas and pepper spray at US-Mexico border during Obama administration