President Trump said Friday he will back a short-term funding bill to reopen the government that does not include funds to construct a wall along the southern border, bowing to mounting pressure fueled by growing disruption due to the lengthy shutdown.
“I am very proud to announce today that we have reached a deal to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government,” Trump said.
The deal, announced by Trump from the Rose Garden of the White House, amounts to a victory for Democrats who have refused the president’s demand for $5.7 billion in wall funding. Trump had said for weeks he would not reopen the government without that money.
The measure Trump will sign funds the government through Feb. 15 and the president said he would use that period to extract wall funding from lawmakers. A bipartisan committee of House and Senate lawmakers will meet to develop a funding proposal for border security, including physical barriers separating the U.S. from Mexico, according to the president.
View the complete January 25 article by Jordan Fabian and Brett Samuels on The Hill website here.