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Trump Says He May Veto Spending Bill, Risking Government Shutdown Trump Says He May Veto Spending Bill, Risking Government Shutdown
(35 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — President Trump threatened on Friday to veto a $1.3 trillion spending package just hours before the government was set to shut down for lack of funds, lashing out over its failure to fund his long-promised border wall. WASHINGTON — President Trump threatened on Friday to veto a $1.3 trillion spending package just hours before the government was set to shut down for lack of funds, lashing out over Congress’s failure to fund his long-promised border wall.
“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,” Mr. Trump posted on Twitter in a message that imperiled a sweeping bipartisan agreement brokered by congressional leaders over his objections. “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,” Mr. Trump posted on Twitter in a message that imperiled a sweeping bipartisan agreement brokered by congressional leaders over his reservations.
He was referring partly to the fact that he failed to reach a deal with Democrats to include provisions in the spending measure that would preserve Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, an Obama-era program he rescinded last fall that allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to apply for permits to work legally and avoid deportation.He was referring partly to the fact that he failed to reach a deal with Democrats to include provisions in the spending measure that would preserve Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, an Obama-era program he rescinded last fall that allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to apply for permits to work legally and avoid deportation.
But Mr. Trump’s failure to secure an agreement on that issue was hardly the only one on which lawmakers defied him in approving the bill. The measure itself deals a broad rebuke to the president’s vision for reordering the size and scope of government, rebuffing his efforts to gut many domestic programs even as it provided the sizable military spending increase Mr. Trump wanted. But the president was most angry about the lack of funding in the bill for a massive wall on the nation’s southern border that he has billed as the centerpiece of his crackdown on illegal immigrants. The measure includes nearly $1.6 billion for border security — including new technology and repairs to existing barriers — but not Mr. Trump’s wall, as he claimed on Twitter on Wednesday. It provides $641 million for about 33 miles of fencing, but prohibits building a concrete structure or other prototypes the president has considered, and allocates the rest of the funding for new aircraft, sensors and surveillance technology.
A veto would almost certainly shut down the government at midnight, just as hundreds of thousands of teenagers and adults are descending on the National Mall for a gun control march. With Congress on spring recess for two weeks starting Monday, many lawmakers had already departed Washington early Friday. Some were on their way out of the country as part of official congressional delegations overseas. It was the latest instance of the president parting ways with his advisers in a sudden reversal that could have serious consequences. The measure cleared Congress early Friday morning and, while Mr. Trump had made plain he was unhappy with some aspects of it, his senior advisers spent Thursday telling reporters that the president would sign it.
And unlike recent government shutdowns that stemmed from Congress’s inability to pass spending bills, this one would be precipitated by the president alone. In 1995 and 1996, vetoes of spending bills by President Bill Clinton shuttered the government temporarily, but in those cases, Mr. Clinton had the support of his party’s leadership in Congress, who objected to deep cuts to Medicare and conservative policy changes inserted into the spending bills. A veto would almost certainly shut down the government at midnight, just as hundreds of thousands of teenagers and adults are slated to descend on Washington for a gun control march. With Congress on spring recess for two weeks starting Monday, many lawmakers had already departed Washington early Friday. Some were on their way out of the country as part of official congressional delegations overseas.
If President Trump vetoes the new spending bill, he will have defied Republican and Democratic leaders alike. Beyond the practical risks, the optics of the last-minute presidential outburst held peril for Mr. Trump. Unlike recent government shutdowns that stemmed from Congress’s inability to pass spending bills, this one would be precipitated by the president alone. In 1995 and 1996, vetoes of spending bills by President Bill Clinton shuttered the government temporarily, but in those cases, Mr. Clinton had the support of his party’s leaders in Congress, who objected to deep cuts to Medicare and conservative policy changes inserted into the spending bills.
If Mr. Trump were to veto the new spending bill, he would be defying Republican and Democratic leaders alike.
The president’s apparent change of heart came as a surprise but hardly a shock to Republican leaders, who spent much of a snowy Wednesday privately imploring an agitated Mr. Trump to put aside his objections and back the measure, claiming it as a win.
That proved difficult for the president, and not only because of the dearth of wall funding. The measure itself dealt a broad rebuke to his vision for reordering the size and scope of government, rebuffing his efforts to gut many domestic programs even as it provided the sizable military spending increase that Mr. Trump wanted.
Sensing a political advantage, Democrats were unperturbed by the tweet. Top Democratic aides said Friday morning that they would not make concessions to Mr. Trump if he chose to veto the bill.Sensing a political advantage, Democrats were unperturbed by the tweet. Top Democratic aides said Friday morning that they would not make concessions to Mr. Trump if he chose to veto the bill.
Over the weekend, the White House offered to extend protections for about 800,000 DACA recipients for two and a half years, with no guarantee beyond that time, in exchange for $25 billion for the border wall, according to congressional aides.Over the weekend, the White House offered to extend protections for about 800,000 DACA recipients for two and a half years, with no guarantee beyond that time, in exchange for $25 billion for the border wall, according to congressional aides.
Democrats countered by saying they would agree to the full $25 billion only if the president agreed to a pathway to citizenship for a much broader population of young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, a deal that was similar to an earlier offer from Mr. Trump.Democrats countered by saying they would agree to the full $25 billion only if the president agreed to a pathway to citizenship for a much broader population of young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, a deal that was similar to an earlier offer from Mr. Trump.
The White House rejected the Democratic offer.The White House rejected the Democratic offer.