Second partial government shutdown looms: What to know
A second partial government shutdown is just days away if President Trump and congressional leaders can't agree to a funding deal by Friday at midnight.
After a 35-day shutdown -- the longest on record -- Trump and Congress reached a temporary agreement at the end of January to fund the government for the next three weeks while the White House looks to find a way to finance a wall along the U.S-Mexico border.
Democrats and Republicans announced a tentative funding deal late Monday to keep the government up and running. It includes $1.4 billion for 55 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border wall -- a fraction of the $5.7 billion Trump initially demanded and also would fund a yearly average of 45,275 detention beds, according to Politico, a 12 percent increase over the levels funded in last year’s bill. (Democrats disputed that number).
Whether it passes, however, depends on Trump.
The president said on Tuesday that he’s “not happy” about the deal, which needs to be passed by Friday at midnight in order to avert another shutdown. If passed, it would fund the government through Sept. 30.
“Am I happy at first glance?” Trump said while speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. “The answer is no. I’m not happy.” Trump did not say whether or not he would sign the bill, although noted he did not want to see another shutdown. (He told reports at the White House that he didn’t think there would be a shutdown -- and if there was one, it was “Democrats’ fault”).
"I'm not happy about it, it's not enough, it's not doing the trick," Trump said. He added that he would use “methods other than this” to build the wall, but did not say what those tactics were.
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Previously, Trump has floated the option of declaring a national emergency and moving forward with construction. It’s unclear whether the president could legally declare a national emergency to build the wall; if he were to do so, it would likely face immediate outcry -- and a legal challenge -- from Democrats.