Chamber of Commerce executive calls out Trump over government shutdown threat

The Chamber of Commerce’s vice president and top policy officer chastised President Trump for threatening to shut down the government in order to get lawmaker approval for his proposed wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.

“My experience has been whoever tries to hold government funding hostage to get something — it’s usually not a strategy that has historically worked out very well,” Neil Bradley, the Chamber’s senior vice president and chief policy officer, said in an interview with C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” set to air Sunday, according to Bloomberg which obtained the interview.

“So it seems to me there are probably better ways for the president to get his priority of a border wall done than threatening a government shutdown,” he said.

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Bradley’s comments came two days after Trump threatened to shut down the government over funding for his proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. 

“If we have to close down our government, we’re building that wall,” Trump said at a campaign-style rally in Phoenix on Tuesday, adding: “One way or the other, we’re going to get that wall.”

Congressional Republicans are facing looming deadlines in the coming weeks to pass a slew of spending bills to keep the government running and to raise the debt ceiling.

Bradley said that while concern about a government shutdown is increasing, he is “not prepared to say it’s likely at the moment,” according to Bloomberg.