Trump urges government shutdown in unlikely bid to ‘defund’ his criminal prosecutions

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are at odds over how to proceed with spending legislation, which must be passed to avert an Oct. 1 shutdown. A small group of hardliners, including Trump's most fervent supporters, have complicated the agenda for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he pushes a short-term funding plan. "Republicans in Congress can and must defund all aspects of Crooked Joe Biden’s weaponized Government," Trump wrote on his Truth Social media site late on Wednesday, calling it "the last chance to defund these political prosecutions against me and other Patriots."