The Republican-led House has approved funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall in legislation that pushes the government closer to the possibility of a partial government shutdown.
The House voted 217-185, largely along party lines. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it does not have a good chance of passing. Some senators have already gone home for the holidays.
Senators had already passed their bill to avert a shutdown by extending funds to Feb. 8. It did not include the wall funding.
Without resolution, government funding for various departments expires at midnight today. It remains to be seen if some type of compromise can be worked out.
Trump had given mixed signals on how hard he would push for $5 billion in border wall funds. But he dug in Thursday, telling House Republican leaders he wouldn’t sign the Senate bill that didn’t have the money.
Trump also took time to tweet out that he succumbed to an omnibus bill for what he referred to at the time “national security” reasons, which he said he would never do again, and added that the bill he is supposed to be receiving from Congress was promised to include border wall funding.
“When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership. Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didn’t happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries – but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!” he tweeted.
President Trump blamed Democrats for the impending government shutdown, having said last week that a shutdown would occur if border-wall funding was not included in a year-end spending bill.
“Shutdown today if Democrats do not vote for Border Security!” he tweeted.