×

Wed. 9:13 a.m.: Funding government without border wall appears back on table

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway said this morning that President Donald Trump would "certainly take a look" at legislation in the works that would keep government funded, likely into February, though he wasn't softening on his promise to secure the border. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump appeared to back off his demand for $5 billion to build a border wall, signaling for the first time that he might be open to a deal that would avoid a partial government shutdown.

White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway says Trump may consider a short-term funding deal to keep government open.

Conway was asked this morning if Trump would back legislation in the works that would keep the government funded, likely into February, and said the president will “take a look at that certainly.”

Conway argues Trump is not softening on his promise to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. The White House has said it’s looking at other avenues to fund the wall.

Trump tweeted this morning: “One way or the other, we will win on the Wall!”

Democrats earlier proposed keeping funding at $1.3 billion for border security fencing and other improvements, but not for the wall.

The White House set the tone Tuesday when press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders indicated that Trump doesn’t want to shut down the government Friday at midnight, though just last week he said he’d be “proud” to do so. The president would consider other options and the administration was looking at ways to find the money elsewhere, Sanders said.

It was a turnaround after days of impasse. Without a resolution, more than 800,000 government workers could be furloughed or sent to work without pay beginning at midnight Friday, disrupting government operations days before Christmas.

One option that has been circulating on Capitol Hill would be to simply approve government funding at existing levels, without a boost for the border, as a stopgap measure to kick the issue into the new Congress next month. The chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., confirmed late Tuesday his office was preparing legislation to keep government funded, likely into February.

While Trump has not said that he would sign such a measure, Conway signaled this morning that he may consider it.

“He’ll take a look at that certainly,” said Conway. “This is all breaking news, in other words, what the Congress is going to put before him.”

Sander told reporters Tuesday that the White House wants “to know what can pass.”

“Once they make a decision and they put something on the table, we’ll make a determination on whether we’ll move forward,” said Sanders. She also said the president “has asked every agency to look and see if they have money that can be used.”

The turn of events kick-started negotiations that had been almost nonexistent since last week’s televised meeting at the White House, when Trump neither accepted nor rejected the Democrats’ offer. They had proposed keeping funding at current levels of $1.3 billion for border security fencing and other improvements, but not for the wall.

The Senate’s top Republican and Democratic leaders began negotiating new proposals and talks were expected to continue.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was confident there would not be a government shutdown. McConnell said a stopgap measure could be approved, though he suggested that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become House speaker when the Democrats take control Jan. 3, would not want to saddle the new year with a budget brawl.

“If I were in her shoes, I would rather not be dealing with this year’s business next year,” McConnell said.

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have made it clear they are not interested in funding Trump’s border wall.

“We cannot accept the offer they made of a billion-dollar slush fund for the president to implement his very wrong immigration policies,” Pelosi told reporters. “So that won’t happen.”

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today