Trump softens his position on border wall funding as Congress works to avert a government shutdown
President Trump said Monday evening that he is open to postponing his demand for Congress to finance his border wall with Mexico, journalists for conservative news outlets said after a White House reception. The White House confirmed Trump's comments. The president's insistence that Congress include $1.5 billion for the wall in a spending bill this week threatened to upend negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in Congress and lead to a government shutdown on Saturday.
The emerging deal is now expected to include money for border security, like smart technology and new border agents, but not the wall. Trump said he will still insist on wall funding in the fall, in the next budget showdown. It's not clear the politics will get any easier for Trump in the fall, with Democrats and many Republicans opposed to a coast-to-gulf wall. "There will never be a 2,200-mile wall built, period," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). "I think it's become symbolic of better border security. It's a code word for better border security. If you make it about actually building a 2,200-mile wall, that's a bridge too far — but I'm mixing my metaphors."
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