Govt shutdown looms: Trump threatens to veto spending bill over border wall
US President Donald Trump says he’s considering vetoing the freshly-passed $1.3 trillion spending bill over immigration issues. He cited a lack of funding for his much-touted Mexican border wall and concerns over DACA.
Trump tweeted Friday morning that he is considering blocking the bill because 800,000 ‘Dreamer’ immigrants aren’t even mentioned in the legislation.
I am considering a VETO of the Omnibus Spending Bill based on the fact that the 800,000 plus DACA recipients have been totally abandoned by the Democrats (not even mentioned in Bill) and the BORDER WALL, which is desperately needed for our National Defense, is not fully funded.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2018
“DACA was abandoned by the Democrats. Very unfair to them! Would have been tied to desperately needed Wall,” the president added.
It was thought that a government shutdown had been narrowly avoided as the bill passed the Senate and the House of Representatives in a whirlwind process in the early hours of Friday morning. It was widely anticipated that the president would sign the bill to avoid another government closure with funds due to run out on Saturday.
If Trump does veto the bill it would almost certainly shutter the government at midnight. The president-precipitated shutdown would mark a change from recent government closures, which were caused by Congress’s failure to pass spending bills.
Trump’s threat comes after the White House reassured lawmakers that the president would sign off on the 2,300 page omnibus spending bill. Capitol Hill is unprepared for the threat as lawmakers were leaving Washington as Congress heads into a two-week recess.
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