Administration

John Dingell on Trump’s ‘steel slat barrier’ wall: ‘Sit on it, you imbecile’

Former Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) blasted an illustration President Trump tweeted Friday of a proposed “Steel Slat Barrier,” telling Trump to “sit on it” amid an ongoing government spending fight over funding for the border wall.

{mosads}Dingell, 92, retired in 2015 after serving in the House for nearly 60 years, the longest-serving congressman in history.

He is known for his pointed wit on Twitter, but does not often attack Trump directly.

Trump has dug in over his demands for border wall funding after previously indicating he would be willing to sign a short-term funding bill without it. Recently, he has taken to describing the border structure as steel slats.

House Republicans passed a short-term funding bill Thursday that included more than $5 billion in funding for Trump’s border wall, which Democrats have said is dead on arrival in the Senate.

Failure to pass a year-end spending bill by Friday at midnight would result in a partial government shutdown.