Trump coy on border deal but claims win
WASHINGTON — Even before seeing a final deal or agreeing to seal it, President Donald Trump labored Wednesday to frame the congressional agreement on border security as a political win, never mind that it contains only a fraction of the billions for a “great, powerful wall” that he’s been demanding for months.
Trump is expected to grudgingly accept the agreement, which would avert another government shutdown and give him what Republicans have been describing as a “down payment” on his signature campaign pledge.
He said Wednesday that he’s still waiting on lawmakers to present him with final legislative language before making a decision. But he’s not waiting to declare victory, contending at the White House on Wednesday that a wall “is being built as we speak.”
Indeed, work on a first barrier extension — 14 miles in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley — starts this month, approved by Congress about a year ago along with money to renovate and strengthen some existing fencing. But that’s a far cry from the vast wall he promised during his campaign would “go up so fast your head will spin.”
He told a law enforcement group on Wednesday, “It’s going to be a great, powerful wall . ... The wall is very, very on its way.”
He added, “You are going to have to be in extremely good shape to get over this one. They would be able to climb Mount Everest a lot easier, I think.”
White House officials cautioned that they had yet to see final legislative language, which was still being worked out Wednesday. And Trump has a history of balking at deals after signaling he was on board. But barring any major changes or late additions, he was expected to acquiesce, according to White House officials and other Republicans who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump and his aides have also signaled that he is preparing to use executive action to try to secure additional money for the wall by tapping into existing federal dollars without any congressional sign-off so he can show supporters he’s continuing to fight. That could lead to resistance in Congress or federal court.
Swallowing the deal would mark a major concession by Trump, who has spent months insisting the situation at the southern border represents a national
security crisis that demands an impregnable wall. He also had insisted he would accept nothing less than $5.7 billion to start the barrier
— a demand that forced the 35-day partial shutdown that left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without paychecks and Republicans taking the brunt of the blame.
The tentative deal lawmakers reached this week would provide less than $1.4 billion for border barriers while keeping the government funded through the end of September. While some conservatives have balked at the deal, other allies of the president have urged him to sign it and move on.
In private conversations since the deal was first
announced, Trump has made clear that he wanted more money for the wall and has expressed concern that the plan is being framed as a defeat for him in the media.
There is little doubt the deal will pass Congress, barring 11th-hour surprises. Democrats and Republicans on the Hill were trying Wednesday to put the final touches on the legislative text, while trying to work through several snags, including whether to include a simple extension of the Violence Against Women Act as Senate Republicans want or move a new, longer-term bill separately, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-calif., is pushing.
Democrats were also
pressing to try to make sure employees of federal contractors receive back pay for wages lost during the last shutdown — something Sen. Roy Blunt, R-MO., said was a no-go for the president.
The continued haggling meant a House vote won’t come before Thursday night at the earliest. Lawmakers need to pass some kind of funding bill by midnight Friday to avoid another shutdown.
Meanwhile, active-duty troops from dozens of U.S. military units around the country are flowing to the southern border as part of the latest plan to send 3,750 new forces to help with surveillance and install more wire barriers.