Trump will sign spending bill, declare national emergency
Mitch McConnell made the announcement on the Senate floor
The big bipartisan government funding deal is going to become law, but it will be far from the end of the border security battle between President Donald Trump and members of Congress.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed Thursday that Trump intends to sign the spending conference report, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had indicated earlier.
“President Trump will sign the government funding bill, and as he has stated before, he will also take other executive action — including a national emergency — to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border,” she said in a statement. “The President is once again delivering on his promise to build the wall, protect the border, and secure our great country.”
Confirmation from the White House spokeswoman came after McConnell said Trump had told him he would sign the conference report into law, along with the emergency declaration.
Watch: What is a national emergency? How Congress gave the White House broad, far-reaching powers
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“I had an opportunity to speak with President Trump and he, I would say to all my colleagues, has indicated he’s prepared to sign the bill,” the Kentucky Republican said on the Senate floor. “He also will be issuing a national emergency declaration at the same time. I indicated I’m going to support the national emergency declaration.”
With the assurances that Trump would put his signature on the appropriations package, the Senate quickly moved ahead, adopting the conference report on an 83-16 vote.
Following the McConnell announcement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed that the $333 billion, seven-bill appropriations package to finish off fiscal 2019, would also move ahead in the House later Thursday.
“We’ll vote on it later today,” the California Democrat said of the fiscal 2019 appropriations package. “So that’s real progress for us to have left it to the appropriators to make the decisions.”
Senate leaders interrupt Grassley speech to announce Trump’s support for deal, national emergency plans
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“It’s gonna pass,” House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn said of the omnibus spending package. “I hope it would be a strong bipartisan vote, [that] is what I would like to see.”
The South Carolina Democrat said he had been in contact with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana about this evening’s vote.
“So the two of us are working together, trying to come up with a strong bipartisan vote for this bill. It will pass. I would hate to predict how many he will have, I think I know about how many I have on this side,” Clyburn said.
Lindsey McPherson and Doug Sword contributed to this report.