Trump Softens on Border Wall Demands; Congress Moves Towards Stopgap Bill
President Trump on Wednesday vowed to get his border wall built “one way or the other” following Democratic lawmakers refusal to provide him with $5 billion for its construction:
“In our Country, so much money has been poured down the drain, for so many years, but when it comes to Border Security and the Military, the Democrats fight to the death…We won on the Military, which is being completely rebuilt. One way or the other, we will win on the Wall.”
Earlier this month, Trump threatened to shut down the government if Congress didn’t include $5 billion for border security in its year-end spending bill. Democratic lawmakers offered to include $1.3 billion for border security, but not necessarily for the construction of a new wall.
Trump said it wasn’t enough.
Days later, Trump backed down from his demand and Republicans proposed a bill including $1.6 billion for border fencing and $1 billion for other immigration-related matters.
Democrats rejected the proposal.
Lawmakers now have less than two days to sort out the final 25% of government funding. Failure to pass a spending bill by midnight on December 21st will result in a partial shutdown.
Agencies that could be forced to send employees home without pay include: the Interior, Commerce, Agriculture, Justice, Transportation, Homeland Security, and State departments and NASA.
The shutdown would not affect HHS, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, the Pentagon, or the US Postal Service.
“There’s certainly bipartisan support for avoiding a shutdown,” noted Senator Mitch McConnell, who this week introduced a continuing resolution that would keep federal agencies up and running until February 8th.
“We need the government to remain open for the American people,” he added, vowing not to end 2018 how it began: “With another government shutdown because of Democrats’ allergy to sensible policies.”
Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi said they would support McConnell’s continuing resolution.
If it passes, the short-term bill will be another reminder of Trump’s ongoing failure to secure funding for one of his key campaign promises: to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
On Wednesday, Trump reiterated his earlier suggestion that money saved via the newly-negotiated (but unsigned) United States Mexico Canada Agreement could go towards wall construction.
“Mexico is paying (indirectly) for the Wall through the new USMCA,” tweeted Trump. “Because of the tremendous dangers at the Border, including large scale criminal and drug inflow, the United States Military will build the Wall!”
The Administration has also directed all Cabinet departments to look for money that could be legally redirected towards the wall.
Author’s Note:
Trump is clearly determined to get his wall built, but he knows that another shutdown – especially during the holidays – won’t help him during his re-election campaign. He’s also realizing that he doesn’t have much support from GOP lawmakers for wall funding at the $5 billion level.
In the meantime, Democrats seem willing to provide ample funding for border security (but not wall construction) in FY2019 and Trump seems convinced he can get money for his wall elsewhere.
As White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders explained, “There’s certainly a number of different funding sources that we’ve identified that we can use to couple with the money that would be given to us through congressional appropriations that would help us get to that $5 billion.”
Trump needs to keep fighting. It is sad all Dems seem to do is resist and donothing of value. I am a Trump supporter but for many years was a Dem. I just got more and more disgusted!
For sure the wall is not just Trump it is for the U.S.A.’s Citizens National Security to stop the asses of crime from entering the U.S.A. ! There is no more tolerance for illegal foreigners attacks on Patriotic U.S. Citizens Constitutional Freedom & Rights ! The illegal foreign cowards should be destroying their own countries dictators & drug lord asses of tyranny ! This is an obligation for illegal foreigners survival !
Great!!
By not getting the wall money and not fighting for it, has only In powered the Democrats with a win for there side. I would not sign any of there bills until they give the money for the wall. I can not understand why Trump keeps flip flopping on what he wants.
I agree President Trump needs to shut down the Government. Those Senators and Congressmen need to realize we voted them in and we can vote them out. When did the House and Senate start running the country ignoring “We the People”. The American people need to wake up and do something about the government telling us what we want done. I have a mind of my own and do not need any liberal telling me what I should think. It is ok for them to jam everything down our throats and we are to just sit back and take it. When did the American people give up there country. Instead of impeaching Trump they to dump Soros, Pelosi and Schumer for starters. I am sure if they dig deep, very deep they would all have grounds for impeachment!
SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT THEY WILL NOT DO ANY THING FOR THE AMERICA PEOPLE ANY WAY >
ALL THEY WANT TO DO IS GIVE MONEY TO THE DAMN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THAT WILL ONLY KEEP TAKING MONEY FROM WELFARE >:
AND THAT WIILL BE 30 BILLION DOLLARS IN ONE YEAR> :
CONGRESS GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND PUT THE MONEY UP FOR THE WALL>:
With all the money the Demo rats waste on illegals America could build 50 walls. Get it built, Quit bitching about it and secure our borders..
Build the Wall ! If the democrats don’t want a secure border wall then they need to tear down the gates surrounding their gated communities. But the hypocrites Chucky and Piglosi like the pope advocate for no border wall but live in fenced in facilities. Tell your spineless congressman to get a spine and grow a pair and “Build the Wall!!
The first thing I find hard to understand is how the Socialists representing themselves as Democrats can refuse anything? They ARE IN THE MINORITY. The only reason I can think of is that a bunch of spineless cowards who call themselves Republicans have been voted into both houses of Congress. The second thing I find hard to understand is why people don’t realize that President Trump has been a successful business man for years. He’s had to negotiate with some really tough people. And when one negotiates he starts with more than he wants and eventually comes down with his demands.
Democrats,we’re voted in by many fools knowing they were going to make things wores,they told the voters that.But the Hollywood wood loud mouth convinced the young and dumb to vote Democrats.No it’s time to recall them.Take a look at the dam Muslim they voted in, already wanting to have Muslim control . Start the recall, they we’re voted in they can be recalled .
People need to understand that we had been spending 100s of billions with the illegals and we still have many women crossing the border to have their baby’s here so they can claim benefits and right now are many women that had baby’s from two, three and four different men and claim they are single mothers and receiving benefits for each of those baby’s later of those are the daca generation
we need to vote the democrats out of office,,, you know we can do it too,,, so if you dems want to be in congress you had better stop being so hateful and do what you promised to do,,,, build the damn wall,,, do the right thing or go home and stay there,,, i personally am sick and tired of all the fussing ,,, you dems were not elected to stir up trouble,,, so get off your butts and do what you said you would do,,,, democrats used to be for the working man but now all you are for is cheating,,, lying ,,, and stiring up trouble,,, so who needs you,,, just you wait until the next election and see who gets the shaft,,, and i hope and pray it is elizabeth warren,, pelosie and a few others,,,,
Voting dems out requires vote counters that are not criminally fixing votes for dems ! This is a mandatory priority for the honest DOJ-AG under trumps administration & honest conservative voters protection … ! Remember it is not the vote that counts when criminals do the counting … !