Though Trump may look for a loophole, it seems there will be no wall after all.
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Despite his unhappiness with the tentative deal reached by Congress earlier this week, CNN reports that Trump will sign a border security deal to avoid another government shutdown, weeks after the longest on record.
Congress has until Friday to get a deal passed en route to his desk.
With $1.375 billion set aside for a border structure, Congress’ latest deal falls well short of the $1.6 billion offered in a Senate package from last year. With polls showing most Americans think Trump is to blame for the last shutdown which saw 800,000 workers furloughed, it’s likely he’s decided to take what he can get.
“I don’t want to see a shutdown, a shutdown would be a terrible thing,” Trump said Wednesday during an Oval Office meeting with Colombian President Ivan Duque. “I don’t want to see another one, there’s no reason for it.”
Trump may still try to access treasury forfeiture funds. Beyond the $680 million in forfeited money, the White House could also divert Pentagon funding for counter-narcotics, gain access to military construction funds, or tap into the Army’s civil works funds. Though counter-narcotics money would not require declaring a national emergency, his other options, some of which could require military use, would not be viable until an emergency is declared.
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