On Friday, President Donald Trump threatened to veto the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill already passed by Congress, only hours before government funding would lapse, CNBC informed.
The about-face comes a day after White House had said Trump would sign the legislation despite his misgivings. The government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday if Trump does not sign a funding bill into law.
In a tweet, Trump said he is “considering a VETO” because the proposal does not provide protections for hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants or fully fund his proposed border wall.
The President’s tweet throws more chaos into the process to keep the government running, even after it looked like Trump’s signature would only be a formality. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney answered “yes” on Thursday when asked if Trump would sign the bill.
“Why? Because it funds his priorities,” he told reporters.
The legislation, which both chambers of Congress passed with bipartisan support, would fund the government through the end of September. It would significantly boost military spending and increase funding for border security, infrastructure and efforts to fight the opioid epidemic.
It also includes measures meant to strengthen gun sale background checks and improve school safety.
A White House official who declined to be named told CNBC that Trump was “frustrated” by what he deems Democrats’ refusal to reach a deal on shielding the young immigrants. An official emphasized that Trump only said he was “considering” a veto.
Be the first to comment