Trump threatens to veto $1.3tn spending bill
US president Donald Trump said on Twitter that he was considering vetoing the $1.3tn budget bill passed by Congress late Thursday night, increasing the risk of another government shutdown.
The president complained about the bill because it doesn’t fully fund his border wall with Mexico and doesn’t offer any protections for the undocumented immigrants brought to the US when they were children.
I am considering a VETO of the Omnibus Spending Bill based on the fact that the 800,000 plus DACA recipients have been totally abandoned by the Democrats (not even mentioned in Bill) and the BORDER WALL, which is desperately needed for our National Defense, is not fully funded.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 23 de marzo de 2018
The Deferred Action and Childhood Arrivals programme implemented by president Obama offered protection for these children and was cut by Trump in September 2017.
If he finally decides to veto the bill, it would trigger the third government shutdown of 2018. The president has until Friday at midnight to sign.
According to a White House official, Trump was fuming about the spending bill and said his priorities weren’t properly funded.
The bill envisages partial funding for the border wall with Mexico, increases military spending and boosts domestic outlays, including for the fight against opioids.
It would also suffice to keep the federal government ticking over until September.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who worked to get Trump to support the plan, described it as a win for the president because it boosts the Defense Department, border enforcement and fighting the opioid crisis, "it does the things we said", he told Fox News.
Ryan had reportedly spoken to Trump on Wednesday, in order to address the president's reservations about supporting the bill. According to a statement from the White House, Trump decided to back the legislation after speaking to Ryan.