Trump Signs Spending Bill To Avert Government Shutdown
President Donald Trump signed an $854 billion spending bill on Friday that will fund the government until early December.
Not included in the legislation was full funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border that the president had sought. However, it does include money he said will be used to continue building the wall.
In a statement released by the White House, Trump said, “The bill I signed today … secures additional funding for border security, including $1.6 billion, annualized, to keep building the wall.”
He continued, “Unfortunately, the radical Democrats refuse to support border security and want drugs and crime to pour into our country.”
https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse/photos/a.1199645353456529/1879737445447313
Trump touted that the legislation secures a record $716 billion for the military, “which includes the largest pay raise for our warriors in nearly a decade,” he said.
The administration plans to purchase nearly 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, 150 Apache and Black Hawk helicopters and 13 Navy ships.
The president also highlighted that the legislation provides an estimated $1.5 billion to increase school safety and $6.7 billion to address substance abuse and mental health, including opioid and heroin abuse.
Last week, Trump tweeted, “I want to know, where is the money for Border Security and the WALL in this ridiculous Spending Bill, and where will it come from after the Midterms? Dems are obstructing Law Enforcement and Border Security. REPUBLICANS MUST FINALLY GET TOUGH!”
I want to know, where is the money for Border Security and the WALL in this ridiculous Spending Bill, and where will it come from after the Midterms? Dems are obstructing Law Enforcement and Border Security. REPUBLICANS MUST FINALLY GET TOUGH!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2018
CNBC reported the White House had sought up to $25 billion to fund the wall.
In July, Trump appeared more than willing to shut down the government in order to force Congress to appropriate money for it.
“If we don’t get border security after many, many years of talk within the United States, I would have no problem doing a shutdown,” Trump said at a news conference at the time.
More recently, the president had stated he would heed the advice of Republican members of Congress who said it would be detrimental to the party to shut down the government going into the midterms.
On Thursday, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told CNBC, “We’ve decided to have that discussion (on wall funding) after the election.”
Despite the fact that the border wall isn’t fully funded, Trump indicated that overall he is pleased with the spending measure.
NEW: Pres. Trump signs $854 billion spending bill, White House announces.
"I am pleased to have signed this bill into law," he says. https://t.co/QtcYtyMdav pic.twitter.com/tCFbIbEhiv
— ABC News (@ABC) September 28, 2018
“America is being respected again — and our people are being protected again,” he said. “I am pleased to have signed this bill into law.”
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