US President Donald Trump voiced unease Tuesday with a tentative agreement to avoid another partial government shutdown.
The top congressional appropriators announced late Monday they agreed “in principle” to a slew of border security items that would be included in a bill to ensure about a quarter of government remains funded past a Friday deadline.
“THE WALL IS STILL GETTING BUILT”
But Trump said he is “not happy about” the agreement, which reports have said include $1.375 billion of the $5.7 he is seeking for a US-Mexico border wall. “I’m extremely unhappy with what the Democrats have given us. It’s sad. They’re doing the country no favors. They’re hurting our country very badly,” Trump said while insisting “the wall is getting built, regardless.”
It is unclear if Trump would resort to declaring a national emergency — an option he has vacillated in the past on due to the slew of legal challenges that would likely follow — if Congress does not hand him the money he is seeking. Trump’s insistence on the funding led to the first government shutdown that began in late December before becoming the longest in US history, enduring for 35 days.
Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy told the CNBC network that negotiators agreed on more than 55 miles of new border wall, a win he claimed after Democrats opposed any funds for a new border barrier.
Still, it remains unclear if the compromise will garner enough support from Republicans to pass the legislature and then possibly overcome a presidential veto.
