Senate Passes Spending Bill with $1.3 Billion in Wall Funding

The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Sean Moran

The Senate passed a spending bill Thursday that contains $1.3 billion in wall funding and will likely avoid a government shutdown.

The Senate passed the government spending bill 83-16, featuring broad bipartisan support for the legislation. The spending bill will avoid a government shutdown that would have happened on Friday if Congress did not pass a spending bill before Friday.

The legislation will move to the House, where they will likely vote on the bill sometime Thursday night.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) quickly passed the bill after he said Thursday that President Donald Trump will sign the government spending bill.

Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) said that Congress did not do its job to secure the border and left President Trump no other option than to declare a national emergency.

The Hoosier senator said:

Government shutdowns need to stop, but I cannot support our dysfunctional system of out-of-control government spending through a broken process: it would never work in the private sector and it certainly doesn’t work in Washington.  This legislation did not sufficiently address the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border and left President Trump with no other option than to declare a national emergency, which I support.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, said he supports Trump’s use of executive powers to build the wall.

McConnell also said that he will support President Trump’s action to use executive authority, as well as a national emergency, to build the wall.

“He’s prepared to sign the bill, he will also be issuing a national emergency declaration at the same time,” McConnell said ahead of the vote.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said:

President Trump will sign the government funding bill, and as he has stated before, he will also take other executive action – including a national emergency – to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border. The President is once again delivering on his promise to build the wall, protect the border, and secure our great country.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that they may challenge Trump’s use of executive powers to build the wall.

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