A group of former national park superintendents is calling on the Trump administration to close the parks to visitors in case of a government shutdown

Trump could use a shutdown to dismantle government functions, wrote Max Stier, chief executive of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit focused on improving the federal government.

"If Americans get stuck with a shutdown that drags on, there will be a cost. But which party will pay the political price?" GOP strategist Karl Rove wrote.

President Donald Trump on Friday shrugged off the threat of the first US government shutdown in nearly seven years and moved to cast the blame for any disruption on Democrats.

Get the latest news and live updates as Trump signs a deal for the sale of TikTok and meets with Turkish President Erdogan on lifting a hold on the sale of F-35s.

In a letter sent over the weekend, Jeffries and Schumer demanded to meet with Trump to negotiate a deal to prevent a government shutdown. Trump responded on Tuesday, saying that the Democratic leaders’ demands were “unserious” and “ridiculous” and that meeting with them could not “possibly be productive.”