U.S. President Donald Trump indicated an openness on Monday to delaying his push to secure funds for his promised border wall with Mexico, potentially eliminating a sticking point as lawmakers worked to avoid a looming shutdown of the federal government.
Without a almost $1 trillion spending bill that covers all government agencies, portions of the government would be forced to shut down on Saturday, which also happens to be Trump's 100 day in office. But while the idea is a priority of Trump's most fervent supporters, it is resolutely opposed by Democrats and even many Republicans, who see it as wasteful and who prefer other steps like new technologies and additional border agents to curb illegal immigration. "Now the bipartisan and bicameral negotiators can continue working on the outstanding issues", he said.
Schumer had earlier criticized Trump, saying the president was risking a federal shutdown "by shoving this wall down Congress' and the American people's throats".
Congress must pass a $1 trillion catchall spending bill to pay for all agencies of government by midnight Friday or trigger a partial shutdown the next day, which happens to coincide with the 100th day of Trump's presidency.
Now it appears Trump's core campaign promise has run into a. wall.
Trump, in a Twitter comment, said the "the Wall is a very important tool in stopping drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth (and many others)!"
"The wall's going to get built, folks", Trump replied.
If he simply says he has fixed the problem, his most ardent admirers will have no objection; first, because they believe anything he says and, second, because majority already interpreted talk of a wall as hyperbole, an amusing exaggeration that only meant he was going to get tougher on undocumented immigrants.
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Some of the notes "could be considered suicide notes", Daniel Bennett, Massachusetts' secretary of public safety, told reporters. The private service for family and friends is being held Monday afternoon in Bristol, Connecticut, where Hernandez grew up.
"I think sometimes we get hung up on the semantics rather than really looking at what a really good system should include", said Sen.
Unnamed White House officials confirmed to Politico and the Washington Post that Trump told representatives from conservative media outlets on Monday that he was open to waiting until September to fund the border wall.
"Congress generally works on the calendar not the clock, and when you say that April 28 is going to be the day, I think you have to assume not much gets done before April 28", Blunt added.
Democratic votes are invariably needed to pass catchall spending bills, which typically are resented by many tea party Republicans.
The White House had offered to include $7 billion in Obamacare subsidies that allow low-income people to pay for healthcare insurance in exchange for Democratic backing of $1.5 billion in funding to begin construction of a barrier on the U.S. -Mexico border. However, he did not specify whether Trump would sign an spending bill that did not fund the border wall.
A White House official told CNN that "politics is the art of compromise" in reference to budget negotiations.
Trump has several demands that could complicate hopes on Capitol Hill for a "clean bill" - one without controversial provisions.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he was optimistic the talks would produce "an agreement in the next few days".
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