`I don´t see a deal!´ Trump tweets he expects a government shutdown at December deadline
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to bad-mouth Capitol Hill’s top Democrats in advance of an afternoon meeting at the White House, casting doubt on the prospects for a quick agreement to avert a government shutdown at the end of next week.“I don’t see a deal!� Trump tweeted just hours before a meeting with Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N. Y., and top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California. Trump said that “Chuck and Nancy� favour “illegal immigrants flooding into our Country� and are weak on crime.Washington faces a Dec. 8 deadline to pass a temporary spending bill to stave off a shutdown. It was hoped Tuesday afternoon’s meeting might lay a foundation to keep the government running and set a path for a year-end spending package to give both the Pentagon and domestic agencies relief from a budget freeze.Read more:Families of Navajo Code Talkers criticize Trump’s ‘Pocahontas’ remark as derogatoryTrump calls NFL ‘weak’ in another complaint about kneeling playersWe should have a ‘FAKE NEWS TROPHY’: Trump attacks the media in his first post-Thanksgiving tweetTrump is still seeking his first big legislative win in Congress, and his attack on Democrats came as his marquee tax bill faced turbulence as well. The White House and top GOP leaders have work to do to get their tax bill in shape before a hoped-for vote later this week. Party deficit hawks pressed for a “backstop� mechanism to limit the risk of a spiral in the deficit, even as defenders of small business pressed for more generous treatment.On a separate track from taxes is a multi-layered negotiation over several issues. Hoped-for increases for the Pentagon and domestic agencies are at the centre, but a host of other issues are in the mix as well.A temporary spending bill expires Dec. 8 and another is needed to prevent a government shutdown. Hurricane aid w ...