Trump threatens to veto omnibus spending bill passed overnight, suddenly making shutdown possible
President Trump is threatening to veto the omnibus spending bill the Senate passed overnight — despite indicating support for it in the last two days — because he says it doesn't protect Dreamers or fully fund his border wall. The president's veto threat suddenly makes a government shutdown, which seemed to be a crisis averted early Friday morning, much more likely.
Government funding runs out at midnight. If he follows through, this would be Mr. Trump's first veto since taking office.
The White House insisted repeatedly Thursday that even though the legislation didn't fund Mr. Trump's border wall — the president has requested $25 billion and the legislation only provides about $1.6 billion — that the president still supported the bill. On Thursday afternoon, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said Mr. Trump would sign the bill.
"The president will sign the bill because it funds his priorities," Mulvaney told reporters Thursday afternoon.
And Mr. Trump had indicated his support earlier this week, too.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., poked at Mr. Trump's famous "Art of the Deal" book.
"It's like art of the deal wrecker, that's my reaction," Kaine told reporters on Capitol Hill Friday.
But some were supportive of Mr. Trump's veto consideration. Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, urged the president to follow through over concerns about spending "throwing our children under the bus."
The conservative House Freedom Caucus has voiced its opposition to the bill, based on increased spending levels.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
