Wall fall down – Senate doesn’t fund pet project

Stall that wall.

The Senate passed a massive spending bill Tuesday that would keep the government running until December — but it doesn't earmark funding for President Trump's long-promised border wall and it remains uncertain whether he would sign such a measure.

The legislation, which passed by an overwhelming 93-to-7 vote, aims to put off the funding fight over Trump's wall with Mexico until after the midterm elections.

The $854 billion bill will be taken up by the House next week and comes less than two weeks ahead of the Sept. 30 funding deadline. Over the weekend, Trump raised the possibility of shutting down the government if the bill didn't include funding for his wall.

“When will Republican leadership learn that they are being played like a fiddle by the Democrats on Border Security and Building the Wall?” Trump tweeted. “Without Borders, we don't have a country. With Open Borders, which the Democrats want, we have nothing but crime! Finish the Wall!”

A White House spokeswoman did not return a request for comment.

Tuesday's bill covers funding for the Pentagon and the Labor; Health and Human Services; Education, and Homeland Security departments. Trump will likely relish the fact that the Pentagon budget for 2019 under the current version of the bill is $606.5 billion, a $17 billion boost compared with this year.

“We did our job and focused on what we should be doing — making responsible, thoughtful decisions about how to fund these federal agencies, and leaving controversial policy issues out of it,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

The Homeland Security Department funding is where Trump is expected to diverge.

The $1.6 billion Democrats have conceded to providing for Trump's wall over the course of 2019 is far from the $5 billion he has demanded.

GOP leaders, fearing a shutdown ahead of the November midterms, are hoping to delay that fight.