Trump unhappy with wall deal, but doesn’t want shutdown

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he’s not happy with a bipartisan border deal in Congress aimed at averting another government shutdown, but he suggested he could add to it to build his U.S.-Mexico border wall and predicted there will not be another lapse in government funding.

“Am I happy at first glance? The answer is no, I’m not, I’m not happy,” Trump told reporters at the White House as he met with cabinet members.

“It’s not going to do the trick, but I’m adding things to it and when you add whatever I have to add, it’s all going to happen where we’re going to build a beautiful, big strong wall.”

Trump spoke a day after bipartisan negotiators struck a deal that would give him a fraction of the money he’s sought to build his wall, the issue that led to the record-long partial government shutdown that ended late last month. Lawmakers and Trump face a deadline Friday at midnight to pass new spending legislation to avert another shutdown.

Trump said he wouldn’t accept another government shutdown, although he defended the one he already had.

“I don’t think you’re going to see a shutdown. I wouldn’t want to see a shutdown. If you did have it, it’s the Democrats fault,” Trump said.

“And I accepted the first one, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished because people learned during that shutdown all about the problems coming in from the southern border. I accept it.”

The bipartisan agreement includes $1.375 billion (U.S.) for about 90 kilometres of new fences along the border, short of the $5.7 billion Trump had sought for more than 300 kilometres of walls.

It retreats from Democrats’ demands for stringent new limits on the ability of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to detain undocumented immigrants.