Trump signs farm bill as government shutdown looks more likely
With barely one day to go until a shutdown deadline, President Trump signed a bill — but it's not the one to fund the government.
Mr. Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill at the White House Thursday, but says he won't sign the current short-term spending bill, as House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters after meeting with the president at the White House. The president is demanding money for his border wall, which the spending bill the Senate passed Wednesday night doesn't have.
"I've made my position very clear: any measure that funds the government must include border security," Mr. Trump said in relatively lengthy remarks on border security at the farm bill signing.
"Essential to border security is a powerful, physical barrier. Walls work, whether we like it or not," the president added.
But it's unclear whether the president will settle for less than the $5 billion he wants for his border wall. He hasn't specified.
Drowned out in the president's comments about his long hoped-for border wall was an announcement that his administration is imposing stricter work requirements for food stamps as the farm bill is signed into law. The farm bill provides funding for farmers and ranchers, but is also the umbrella legislation for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program.
Mr. Trump announced that able-bodied adults will need to work in order to receive food assistance in certain states.
The president doubled down on his wall funding demands after conservative members of Congress took to the House floor Wednesday night urging the president to stick to his promise to fund the border wall. Some of those conservatives, including House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows and Rep. Jim Jordan were also inside the meeting with Ryan.
The government will partially shut down if the stopgap spending bill is not signed Friday. Mr. Trump is scheduled to leave for Mar-a-Lago for holiday vacation at the end of the week.
Ahead of the farm bill signing, Mr. Trump tweeted this Green Acres spoof video of himself from a few years back — well, it just has to be watched to be understood.
