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House Passes Last-Minute Spending Bill That Provides Money For Wall, Senate Unlikely To Approve

By Kristine Lofgren
Published on: 13:10 PST, Dec 20, 2018

The House passed a bill late Thursday that would provide $5 billion in funding for President Trump’s border wall and temporarily avert a government shutdown. The bill is a stopgap measure that would keep the government open through the first week of February, reports CNBC. However, it is unlikely that the bill will pass the Senate, increasing tensions in the showdown between Trump, Republicans, and Democrats that could shutter portions of the government.

The House approved the bill 217-185 and it now heads to the Senate, who can either approve or reject the measure. If it is rejected and no new bill is presented before Friday night, a quarter of the government will shut down at midnight.

Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said that the House is working both to keep the government open and to also providing funding that secures the border.

“We want to keep the government open, but we also want to see an agreement that protects the border,” he said.

“We have very serious concerns about securing our border.”

Trump has said that he would be “proud” to shut the government down over funding for his border wall, which he has made a key element in the fight over the budget, despite promising during his campaign that Mexico would pay for the wall. On Thursday, lawmakers expected to pass a Senate bill that pushed the issue of border wall funding to a later date, but at the last minute, the president announced that he would veto any measure that didn’t fund his wall.

“I’ve made my position very clear: Any measure that funds the government must include border security,” Trump said, per a statement quoted by the White House website.

It is likely that if the GOP continues to insist on funding the wall, a bill won’t be passed. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the president’s “temper tantrum” will cause the government to shut down, but that Democrats won’t give in on funding the wall. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi echoed Schumer’s words, saying that Trump’s gambit could worsen an already uncertain economy.

In a tweet on Thursday, the president continued his demands, saying that he was promised border security funding by the end of the year and it hasn’t materialized.

“When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership. Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didn’t happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries – but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!” he wrote.

The Senate, which convenes at noon, is expected to vote on the bill on Friday.

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