Congressional leaders agreed to a deal Wednesday that will keep the government open until Feb. 8 and push a fight over President Trump ’s wall…
Congressional leaders agreed to a deal Wednesday that will keep the government open until Feb. 8 and push a fight over President Trump ’s wall on the Mexican border into next year, when he will have to negotiate with a Democratic House.
The agreement puts a bow on a victory that congressional Democrats really scored last week, when Trump said he would embrace a partial government shutdown over his demand for $5 billion in wall funding. Both parties felt that Trump’s remarks ensured that he would get the blame for any government shutdown.
The stopgap spending measure — which covers seven unfinished appropriations bills — was expected to pass the Senate Wednesday evening. The House could approve it on Thursday.
Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn (Texas) told reporters Wednesday afternoon that Trump is expected to sign the bill, despite it falling short of his demands expressed at a fiery White House meeting with Democratic leaders last week.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, telegraphing Trump’s intentions on Tuesday, said “at the end of the day, we don’t want to shut down the government.”
Conservatives, however, ripped the plan to pass a continuing resolution, saying it fumbled Trump’s best chance of securing money for one of his top campaign pledges.
“Let me get this straight… our chances of getting the Wall will be better in February when Nancy Pelosi is Speaker than now when we have the majority?” tweeted Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
“Give me a break. #DoWhatWeSaid.”
The short-term spending bill sets up another partisan showdown over border security for early next year, an issue that Trump may ultimately be forced to carry into his 2020 reelection campaign.
