Trump threatens to veto omnibus spending bill over DACA and the border wall
Jacob Pramuk
Published 2 Hours Ago Updated 28 Mins Ago
President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to veto the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill already passed by Congress, only hours before government funding would lapse.
The about-face comes a day after the White House had said Trump would sign the legislation despite his misgivings. The government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday if Trump does not sign a funding bill into law.
In a tweet, Trump said he is "considering a VETO" because the proposal does not extend protections for hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants or fully fund his proposed border wall.
Donald J. Trump
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@realDonaldTrump
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.
5:55 AM - Mar 23, 2018
The president's tweet throws more chaos into the process to keep the government running, even after it looked like Trump's signature would only be a formality. Vice President Mike Pence offered support for the bill Thursday. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney answered "yes" on Thursday when asked if Trump would sign the bill.
"Why? Because it funds his priorities," he told reporters.
The legislation, which both chambers of Congress passed with bipartisan support, would fund the government through the end of September. It would significantly boost military spending and increase funding for border security, infrastructure and efforts to fight the opioid epidemic.
It also includes measures meant to strengthen gun sale background checks and improve school safety.
A White House official who declined to be named told CNBC that Trump was "frustrated" by what he deems Democrats' refusal to reach a deal on shielding the young immigrants. An official emphasized that Trump only said he was "considering" a veto.
Many lawmakers have already left Washington. Some are in Rochester, New York, for the funeral Friday of longtime Rep. Louise Slaughter, who died last week. The Senate had adjourned and was not expected to take up legislative work again until April 9.
An administration official, who declined to be named, believes lawmakers will come back if Trump asks for a better deal.
While Trump cheered the military funding levels, he was apparently irked by the level of border security funding. The legislation would boost border enforcement funds by about $1.6 billion, to go toward surveillance technology and fencing along the border with Mexico. While Republicans have said the bill funds Trump's "wall," the money goes to fencing structures similar to ones that already exist.
The president, who has tried to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, reportedly wanted $25 billion in long-term wall funding in exchange for protections for the young immigrants. Democrats and some Republicans have sought to extend the DACA program. Trump reportedly did not want to give up to 1.8 million immigrants a pathway to citizenship as part of the deal, as Democrats wanted.
Some notable Republicans who opposed the spending bill encouraged Trump to torpedo it. House Freedom Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told CNBC the veto threat "is great" and said he hopes the president follows through on it.
"I think he got a full understanding of how bad this legislation is
This is not even close to what the American people elected us to do," the hardline House conservative said.
Jordan pushed back on GOP claims that the bill funded the border wall, asking, "Why do you think [House and Senate Minority Leaders] Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are smiling ear to ear?"
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told Trump to "please" veto the legislation, calling the spending levels "grotesque."
Senator Bob Corker
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@SenBobCorker
Please do, Mr. President. I am just down the street and will bring you a pen. The spending levels without any offsets are grotesque, throwing all of our children under the bus. Totally irresponsible. https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/...66887493799936
6:10 AM - Mar 23, 2018
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., whom Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell persuaded not to delay the Senate vote on the bill, also urged Trump to "veto this sad excuse for legislation."
Senator Rand Paul
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@RandPaul
I agree @realDonaldTrump should veto this sad excuse for legislation because its $1.3 trillion in spending that (almost) no one read. https://twitter.com/randpaul/status/976924813234237443
6:51 AM - Mar 23, 2018
The Freedom Caucus pushed the president to oppose the legislation on Wednesday, the day of its release. The group argued the bill did not put enough funding toward border security and criticized the lack of a measure to pull funds from Planned Parenthood, among other provisions.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., had worked this week to win Trump's support for the plan. He described it as a win for the president because it boosts Defense Department funding by about $80 billion, authorizes more money to fight the opioid crisis and puts more funding toward border enforcement.
"This funds the wall, fixes the military, fights opioids and does the things that we said," Ryan said Thursday on Fox News' "Fox & Friends," a show Trump frequently watches and tweets about.
Ryan also went to the White House on Wednesday as Trump was unsure about whether to support the spending bill. After the president spoke with Ryan and McConnell, the White House issued a statement saying he backed the legislation.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/23/trum...rder-wall.html
