Congress denies Trump money to make border wall
LAWMAKERS ARE SET TO AVERT A POSSIBLE SHUTDOWN OF THE GOVERNMENT BY REACHING A DEAL ON A HUGE $1 TRILLIONPLUS SPENDING BILL
Congressional Republicans and Democrats have reached agreement on a huge $1 trillion-plus spending bill that would fund most government operations through September but denies President Donald Trump money for a border wall and rejects his proposed cuts to popular domestic programs.
Aides to lawmakers involved in the talks disclosed the agreement on Sunday after weeks of negotiations. It’s expected to be made public on Monday.
The catchall spending bill would be the first major piece of bipartisan legislation to advance during Trump’s short tenure in the White House. While losing on the wall along the Us-mexico border, Trump won a $15 billion down payment on his request to strengthen the military.
The measure funds the remainder of the 2017 budget year, through September 30, rejecting cuts to popular domestic programs targeted by Trump such as medical research and infrastructure grants.
Successful votes later this week would also clear away any remaining threat of a government shutdown — at least until the October 1 start of the 2018 budget year. Trump has submitted a partial 2018 budget promising a 10% increase for the Pentagon, financed by cuts to foreign aid and other nondefense programs that negotiators on the pending measure protected.
Democrats were quick off the mark to praise the deal.
“This agreement is a good agreement for the American people, and takes the threat of a gov ernment shutdown off the table,” said Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, a key force in the talks. “The bill ensures tax payer dollars aren’t used to fund an ineffective border wall excludes poison pill riders, and increases investments in pro grams that the middle class relies on, like medical research, educa tion and infrastructure.”
Trump said at nearly every campaign stop last year that Mex ico would pay for the 2,000-mile border wall, a claim Mexican leaders have repeatedly rejected The administration sought some $1.4 billion in US taxpayer dollars for the wall and related costs in the spending bill, but Trump later relented and said the issue could wait until September.
TRUMP WALKS OUT OF INTERVIEW
Trump walked out of an inter view at the Oval Office after he was asked about the wiretapping accusations he made against his predecessor Barack Obama.
When CBS’S John Dickerson pressed for details about the sur veillance, said that everyone was entitled to their opinions. How ever, when Dickerson asked him about the accusation again Trump walked off, saying “Okay that’s enough. Thank you.”