Breaking Christian News

Lawmakers Reach Deal to Avoid Shutdown that Includes SOME Money for the Border Wall, Will President Trump Sign It?

Jenna Browder : Feb 14, 2019
CBN News

"I think the president is inclined to accept the agreement and move on and try to find money elsewhere and most likely declare an emergency." -Sen. Lindsay Graham

airlift(Washington, DC)—[CBN News] Lawmakers put the final touches on a budget bill early Wednesday morning, leaving themselves little time to go through the measure before Thursday night's scheduled vote. (Photo: via CBN News)

Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA) called it "absurd" given the bill is more than a thousand pages long.

And if it gets to President Donald Trump's desk, there's no guarantee he'll sign it.

"It's hard to say definitively whether or not the president is going to sign it until we know everything that's in it," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters.

Here's what is known so far about the bill:

It includes nearly $1.4 billion for the southern border wall, significantly less than Trump's requested $5.7 billion.

It also includes a $1.7 billion increase to Department of Homeland Security funding for things like new technology at ports of entry, customs officers, and humanitarian aid.

It would reduce US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention beds from about 50,000 to 40,000.

Trump isn't happy with the bill, but lawmakers like Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) are urging him to take the deal and consider it a down payment.

"I think the president is inclined to accept the agreement and move on and try to find money elsewhere and most likely declare an emergency," said Graham.

CBN News Capitol Hill Correspondent Abigail Robertson doesn't expect a shutdown.

"I would say right now it's one step above cautious optimism," she said on CBN's "Faith Nation." "You never know what will happen with President Trump, but people feel pretty good that we're going to avoid another government shutdown."

Not included in the bill is a deal for DACA "Dreamers," illegal immigrants who were brought to the US as children.

President Trump must sign the measure by midnight Friday to keep the government open. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here