Trump says he won’t sign deal to avert shutdown, demands funds for border security, by Erica Werner.

President Trump said Thursday he would not sign a stopgap spending bill unless it includes money to build a wall along the Mexico border, sending large parts of the federal government lurching toward a shutdown on Saturday.

His comments came after an emergency meeting with House Republican leaders, where Trump revealed he would reject a measure passed in the Senate the night before. That measure would fund many government agencies through Feb. 8, but it would not include any new money for the border wall.

“I’ve made my position very clear. Any measure that funds the government must include border security,” Trump said in an event at the White House. He added, “Walls work, whether we like it or not. They work better than anything.”

Trump’s comments on Thursday completely overturned the plan GOP leaders were patching together earlier in the day as one of their final acts in the House majority. …

The president’s opposition puts Washington back at an impasse: Democrats have the votes to block any bill that includes funding for Trump’s wall, and Trump says he’ll veto any bill that doesn’t. …

Funding for roughly 25 percent of the federal agencies whose budgets rely on Congress will expire at the end of Friday. …

[Trump] has repeatedly threatened a government shutdown since taking office, telling advisers it would be good politics for Republicans to demonstrate their resolve in building a border wall.

Trump versus the establishment Republicans. The three way political battle continues.