President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, on Feb. 12, 2019.The Associated Press
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday edged toward backing a deal in Congress on funding for a barrier on the Mexican border, but left open the possibility that disputes over the wall could still cause a partial government shutdown by the weekend.
Mr. Trump, widely blamed for a five-week shutdown that ended in January, said he did not want to see federal agencies close again because of fighting over funds for the wall, one of his signature campaign promises in the 2016 election.
But the Republican president fell short of committing himself to backing the congressional deal, which would keep the government open and provide some money for border security, but not give Mr. Trump the US$5.7-billion he seeks for the wall.
“I don’t want to see a shutdown. A shutdown would be a terrible thing. I think a point was made with the last shutdown. People realized how bad the border is, how unsafe the border is, and I think a lot of good points were made,” Mr. Trump told reporters.
Mr. Trump said he would hold off on a decision until he sees actual legislation about the issue. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who is close to the White House, said Mr. Trump was “inclined to take the deal and move on.”
Mr. Graham told reporters that Mr. Trump would then look elsewhere to find more money to build a wall along the U.S. southern border and was “very inclined” to declare a national emergency to secure the funds.
With a Friday night deadline looming before a shutdown, there is little time for the White House and the political parties in Congress to agree on funding.
The congressional agreement, reached by negotiators on Monday, falls far short of giving Mr. Trump all the money he wants to help build the wall. Instead, congressional sources say, it includes US$1.37-billion for new barriers – about the same as last year – along 90 kilometres of the border.
Details of the legislation were still being written, but the full bill could be made public as early as Wednesday evening, according to lawmakers and congressional aides.
The accord must be passed by the House of Representatives, dominated by Democrats, and the Republican-controlled Senate, then signed by Mr. Trump by midnight on Friday to prevent a shutdown.
The measure’s fate in the House was far from certain given the risk that some conservatives and liberals will oppose the compromise for different reasons.
Like Mr. Trump, congressional Republicans have little appetite for a repeat of the 35-day partial shutdown in December and January – the longest in U.S. history – which closed about a quarter of federal agencies and left some 800,000 federal workers without pay.
“It’s time to get this done,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor on Wednesday, in reference to voting on the compromise.
Democrats in the House are aiming to schedule a vote on Thursday evening, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat, told reporters. If passed, it would then go to the Senate.
OTHER OPTIONS
A White House spokeswoman, Mercedes Schlapp, told CNN that lawyers were reviewing the administration’s options should Congress not provide Mr. Trump’s demanded money for the wall.
The Washington Post, citing a White House official, said Mr. Trump was likely to explore using his executive power to reallocate other federal funds for barrier projects along the southern border. CNN, citing the White House, also said Mr. Trump was weighing the use of an executive order, among other options.
Mr. Trump previously threatened to declare a “national emergency” if Congress did not provide money specifically for the wall – a move that would almost certainly draw opposition in Congress and in the courts.
“We think the president would be on very weak legal ground to proceed,” said Mr. Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House.
Mr. Trump has come in for criticism from the right for wavering on support for the border wall, which the administration says will cut illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
“Trump talks a good game on the border wall, but it’s increasingly clear he’s afraid to fight for it,” right-wing commentator Ann Coulter tweeted on Tuesday. Mr. Trump abandoned a planned compromise on funding for the wall in December after similar criticism.
Read more: Border-wall funding further slashed in latest U.S. spending plan
a short history of
border wall funding
U.S. President Donald Trump made building a
wall along the 2,000-mile (3,200-km) border
with Mexico a central promise in his election
campaign. But so far the actual amount of
funding that Congress has authorized for barri-
ers along the border has fallen far short of what
the President has requested:
2016: On the campaign trail Trump says a
border wall will cost about US$8-to US12-billion.
February, 2017: Department of Homeland
Security estimates peg the cost of
a wall at US$21.6-billion.
May, 2017: Congress authorizes funding for
US$341.2-million to replace 40 miles of
border fencing.
(Approved under Obama.)
January, 2018: Trump says he wants
US$25-billion for a wall.
February, 2018: Congressional Republicans
and Democrats offer competing proposals
for US$25-billion in border wall funding
spread out over a decade, but the deals fall
apart over disagreements on changes to the
immigration system.
March, 2018: Trump signs a bill that autho-
rizes US$1.375-billion for some construction
at the border, including 25 new miles of wall
in Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
January, 2019: Trump asks for US$5.7-bil-
lion for a border wall.
Feb. 12, 2019: Congressional Republicans
and Democrats say they have signed an
agreement in principle to finance
US$1.375-billion for new fencing. If Mr.
Trump agrees to the compromise, Congress
will have funded slightly more than
US$3-billion in border-wall construction,
much of it to replace existing fencing.
tamsin mcmahon and JOHN SOPINSKI/
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: wires
a short history of border wall funding
U.S. President Donald Trump made building a wall along
the 2,000-mile (3,200-km) border with Mexico a central
promise in his election campaign. But so far the actual
amount of funding that Congress has authorized for barri-
ers along the border has fallen far short of what the Presi-
dent has requested:
2016: On the campaign trail
Trump says a border wall will
cost about US$8-to US12-billion.
US$8-to
US12-billion
February, 2017: Department
of Homeland Security
estimates peg the cost of
a wall at US$21.6-billion.
May, 2017: Congress autho-
rizes funding for
US$341.2-million to replace
40 miles of border fencing.
(Approved under Obama.)
US$21.6-billion
January, 2018: Trump says
he wants US$25-billion for a
wall.
February, 2018: Congressio-
nal Republicans and Demo-
crats offer competing propos-
als for US$25-billion in border
wall funding spread out over
a decade, but the deals fall
apart over disagreements on
changes to the immigration
system.
US$341.2-million
US$25-billion
March, 2018: Trump signs a
bill that authorizes
US$1.375-billion for some
construction at the border,
including 25 new miles of
wall in Rio Grande Valley of
Texas.
US$1.375-billion
January, 2019: Trump asks
for US$5.7-billion for a border
wall.
Feb. 12, 2019: Congressional
Republicans and Democrats
say they have signed an
agreement in principle to
finance US$1.375-billion for
new fencing. If Mr. Trump
agrees to the compromise,
Congress will have funded
slightly more than US$3-bil-
lion in border-wall construc-
tion, much of it to replace
existing fencing.
US$5.7-billion
US$1.375-to
US$3-billion
tamsin mcmahon and JOHN SOPINSKI/THE GLOBE
AND MAIL, SOURCE: wires
a short history of border wall funding
U.S. President Donald Trump made building a wall along the 2,000-mile
(3,200-km) border with Mexico a central promise in his election campaign. But so
far the actual amount of funding that Congress has authorized for barriers along
the border has fallen far short of what the President has requested:
2016: On the campaign trail Trump
says a border wall will cost about
US$8-to US12-billion.
February, 2017: Department of Home
land Security estimates peg the cost of
a wall at US$21.6-billion.
US$8-to US12-billion
May, 2017: Congress authorizes fund
ing for US$341.2-million to replace 40
miles of border fencing.
(Approved under Obama.)
January, 2018: Trump says he wants
US$25-billion for a wall.
February, 2018: Congressional Republi-
cans and Democrats offer competing
proposals for US$25-billion in border
wall funding spread out over a decade,
but the deals fall apart over disagree
ments on changes to the immigration
system.
US$21.6-billion
US$341.2-million
March, 2018: Trump signs a bill that
authorizes US$1.375-billion for some
construction at the border, including 25
new miles of wall in Rio Grande Valley
of Texas.
US$25-billion
January, 2019: Trump asks for US$5.7-
billion for a border wall.
US$1.375-billion
Feb. 12, 2019: Congressional Republi-
cans and Democrats say they have
signed an agreement in principle to
finance US$1.375-billion for new fenc-
ing. If Mr. Trump agrees to the compro-
mise, Congress will have funded slight
ly more than US$3-billion in border-wall
construction, much of it to replace
existing fencing.
US$5.7-billion
US$1.375-to US$3-billion
tamsin mcmahon and JOHN SOPINSKI/THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: wires