Nine bills to fund government advance, but bill with wall funding not complete
Legislators in the House on Thursday night approved nine government funding bills, which moved the federal spending process one step closer to completion, though the bill containing funding for a border wall is still to be completed.
The nine bills will now be debated in conference between appointed Senate and House negotiators to smooth over any differences between the two.
Several aides tell CBS News they expect at least one of these funding packages— such as the one funding government operations like Energy and Water, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs and legislative branch—will be ready to vote on next week.
And while this is welcome news for House Republican leadership, three additional appropriations bills still await action in order to fully fund the government.
The marquee issue yet to be addressed is funding for the Department of Homeland Security -- the bill that will contain any funding for President Trump's promised border wall.
At a Montana rally on Thursday night, President Trump made his opinion clear about funding for a border wall, saying, "If it was up to me, I'd shut down government over border security."
Earlier in the day, House Speaker Paul Ryan sounded optimistic about funding and said the Republican congressional leadership and the president have a "very good agreement and understanding that we are going to keep government funded."