Under mounting pressure from his own party, President Donald Trump appears to be grudgingly leaning toward accepting an agreement that would head off a threatened second government shutdown… even though it provides just a fraction of the money needed for the Mexican border wall.
Trump said Tuesday he would need more time to study the plan, but he also declared he was not expecting another shutdown this weekend when funding for parts of the government would run out. He strongly signaled he planned to scrounge up additional dollars for the wall by raiding other federal coffers to deliver on the signature promise of his presidential campaign.
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“I can’t say I’m happy. I can’t say I’m thrilled,” Trump said of the proposed deal. “But the wall is getting built, regardless. It doesn’t matter because we’re doing other things beyond what we’re talking about here.”
Trump sounded more conciliatory in a Tuesday night tweet —
I want to thank all Republicans for the work you have done in dealing with the Radical Left on Border Security. Not an easy task, but the Wall is being built and will be a great achievement and contributor toward life and safety within our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2019
Accepting the deal, worked out by congressional negotiators from both parties, would be a disappointment for the president’s supporters. Trump himself said the $5.7 billion for the wall is critical for national security. But there is little appetite in Washington for a repeat of the December shutdown.
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Lawmakers tentatively agreed to a deal that would provide nearly $1.4 billion for border barriers and keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. Filling in the details has taken some time, as is typical, and aides reported Wednesday that the measure had hit some snags, though they doubted they would prove fatal.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the bill-writers were “still tinkering” with the legislation’s language.
“The president wants to see what the final package looks like and he’ll make a decision at that point,” she said.
The agreement would allow 55 miles of new fencing, constructed using existing designs such as metal slats. But it’s far less than the 215 miles the White House demanded in December. The fencing would be built in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley.
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Trump was briefed on the plan Tuesday by Shelby and sounded more optimistic after the meeting.
Was just presented the concept and parameters of the Border Security Deal by hard working Senator Richard Shelby. Looking over all aspects knowing that this will be hooked up with lots of money from other sources….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2019
….Will be getting almost $23 BILLION for Border Security. Regardless of Wall money, it is being built as we speak!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2019
The senator told Trump the wall money in the agreement was seen as a down payment. Shelby did not ask whether Trump would sign the measure, but Trump told him he would study it.
The aide said the measure contains a total of $22.5 billion for border security programs, including programs run by Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Congressional negotiators plan to release the legislation Wednesday. The measure and most of its details have so far been closely held.
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But the proposal was met with fury by some on the right, including Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, a close friend of the president, who slammed it as a “garbage compromise.” And Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, released a scathing statement saying she and others had been “hoodwinked.”
Conservative Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a close ally of the president, said that if Trump does agrees to the deal, he could be spared a “conservative uproar because everyone expects executive action to follow.”
“Two things are clear. We will not have a shutdown of the government and executive action to reprogram additional border security dollars is required,” Meadows said.
What do YOU think?
Should the president sign the budget deal… or shutdown the government until he gets the $5.7 billion needed for the wall?
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Should Trump sign the budget deal?
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The Associated Press contributed to this article