Donald Trump plans to sign a bill to avert a government shutdown and then announce he is using executive action, including declaring a national emergency, to help finance construction on his proposed Mexican border wall, the White House has said.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell announced in the Senate that Trump intended to sign the compromise border security measure today to keep the government open, following several phone calls with the president in which he repeatedly pleaded with him to sign the deal.
McConnell said Trump had agreed to sign the bill while simultaneously declaring a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, bypassing Congress on securing the funding for his wall and getting the military to build it.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Many of Trump’s GOP congressional allies called the move ill-advised, and Democrats promised immediate action aimed at blocking it,” the Washington Post says.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement following the announcement, saying Trump’s plan to declare the emergency was “a lawless act, a gross abuse of the power of the presidency”.
“This is not an emergency, and the president’s fear mongering doesn’t make it one,” they said.
Trump is seeking $8 billion (£6.25 billion) in funding to build the wall, despite his campaign promise that he would make Mexico pay for it, CNN notes.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raidsIn the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government buildingSpeed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to USSpeed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
What will security guarantees for Ukraine look like?Today's Big Question From boots on the ground to economic sanctions, here are the measures that might stop Russia taking another bite out of Ukraine
-
Will Ukraine trade territory for peace?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Kyiv’s defences are wearing thin but a land swap is constitutionally impossible and crosses Zelenskyy's red lines
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summitSpeed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
Europe counters Putin ahead of Trump summitSpeed Read President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week for Ukraine peace talks
