WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump says the nation "needs a good 'shutdown' in September" to fix a "mess" in the Senate.

The president says on Twitter that the country needs to "either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51 (per cent)," suggesting more rules changes ahead in the Senate.

Senate Republicans recently triggered the "nuclear option" to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster threshold for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. That change allowed the Senate to hold a final vote to approve Gorsuch with a simple majority.

Trump's tweets come ahead of expected votes this week on a bipartisan budget deal to avoid a government shutdown and a possible vote in the House on a health care overhaul.