U.S. government shutdown possible if Democrats don't act better: Mulvaney

Reuters
FILE PHOTO: White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney speaks about of U.S. President Donald Trump's budget in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 16, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House budget director Mick Mulvaney accused Democrats on Tuesday of trying to make President Donald Trump look bad by claiming victory in budget negotiations and added that a government shutdown might be inevitable if they do not act better. Asked about Trump's tweet about a possible government shutdown in September, Mulvaney said: "I think the president is frustrated with the fact that he negotiated in good faith with the Democrats and they went out to try to spike the football and make him look bad." "We've got a lot to do between now and September. I don't anticipate a shutdown in September, but if the Democrats aren't going to behave any better than they have in the last couple of days, it may be inevitable," he said. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by David Alexander; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)