The Senate on Thursday passed a broad spending and border security bill that will end a funding stalemate that has dragged on for nearly two months and caused the longest government shutdown in history.
In an 83-16 vote, the Senate approved legislation that will fund dozens of departments and agencies for the rest of the fiscal year and let the Trump administration spend $1.375 billion for fencing at the southern border.
The fight over border barriers is what led to the 35-day shutdown, but the inclusion of new money for fencing wasn’t enough to satisfy President Trump. The White House made clear just before the Senate vote that Trump would sign the bill, but also declare a national emergency in order to get access to more money.
That move is likely to lead to legal challenges from Trump’s opponents, but in the meantime, the funding legislation is expected to be passed by the House and then signed by Trump.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the House will clear the spending bill later today but said Trump risked setting a precedent by acting unilaterally to build border wall because any president might use it for initiatives the GOP opposes.
“Republicans should have some dismay about the door that they are opening.” Pelosi said.
But McConnell said he told President Trump he backs his move to use a national emergency declaration to build more border barriers.
The bill provides more than $22 billion for border security initiatives, such as technology at ports of entry, new customs officers, and humanitarian help for illegal immigrants picked up while crossing into the United States from Mexico.
Democrats promoted the barrier funding as a win for their party, even though they had opposed any federal funding for Trump’s “wall.”
“The agreement will provide smart border security and increased support for technology at our ports of entry,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “It will not fund the president’s expansive and ineffective wall. In short, it represents a fair compromise that includes priorities from both sides of the aisle.”
Republicans cast the bill as a victory of their own, as it will let Trump install more steel slat fencing, a compromise barrier that he has said is acceptable.
Elsewhere, the measure includes a 1.9 percent pay increase for federal workers and an extra $1 billion for the Census Bureau.
