Trump says he will not sign ANY Democratic legislation if it doesn’t have ‘perfect border security’

President Donald Trump said he would not sign ‘any’ legislation that does not have ‘perfect border security,’ hours after the U.S. Senate passed a stop-gap spending bill that does not include money for the border wall.

The bill awaits a vote in the House, where it was unclear on Thursday morning whether it would pass. 

Equally murky after Trump’s tweet was whether the president would sign the legislation if it does.  The White House has not taken a formal position on the legislation.

Trump suggested that he could oppose the bill, because it doesn’t fund the wall in a morning tweet.

‘The Democrats, who know Steel Slats (Wall) are necessary for Border Security, are putting politics over Country,’ he said. ‘What they are just beginning to realize is that I will not sign any of their legislation, including infrastructure, unless it has perfect Border Security. U.S.A. WINS!’

President Donald Trump said he would not sign ‘any’ legislation that does not have ‘perfect border security,’ hours after the U.S. Senate passed a stop-gap spending bill that does not include money for the border wall

Trump suggested that he could oppose a bill to keep the government open because it doesn't fund the wall in a morning tweet

Trump suggested that he could oppose a bill to keep the government open because it doesn’t fund the wall in a morning tweet

His mixed signal followed the White House's public announcement that would accept less than $5 billion in funding for his border wall this fiscal year amid negotiations to keep the government open 

His mixed signal followed the White House’s public announcement that would accept less than $5 billion in funding for his border wall this fiscal year amid negotiations to keep the government open 

His mixed signal followed the White House’s public announcement that would accept less than $5 billion in funding for his border wall this fiscal year amid negotiations to keep the government open. 

The vice president reportedly told senators during a luncheon that Trump would sign the Senate measure, staving off a shutdown just in time for the billionaire president to jet down to his private club in Palm Beach for his annual Christmastime visit. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brought the bill to the floor that would keep the government open until Feb. 8 on Thursday that doesn’t contain funding for Trump’s ‘wall’ per se— but it does allocate money for fencing in a continuation of the current federal policy.  

The bill passed in the Senate with a boost from Democrats and had the support of Nancy Pelosi, the top-ranking Democratic in Congress, in the House of Representatives.

Conservatives in the lower chamber were urging Trump not to back down, however, from his request for funds for the border wall. 

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan said that this could be Trump’s last chance to fulfill his most memorable campaign promise.

‘Pelosi’s going to be speaker,’ he said of the January takeover by Democrats in Congress. ‘It’s never going to happen.’

Trump claimed Wednesday that the military would build his border wall and Mexico would pay for it – indirectly under the new trade agreement.

‘Mexico is paying (indirectly) for the Wall through the new USMCA, the replacement for NAFTA! Far more money coming to the U.S. Because of the tremendous dangers at the Border, including large scale criminal and drug inflow, the United States Military will build the Wall!,’ he tweeted.  

Trump said the new trade deal means Mexico will pay for his wall

Trump said the new trade deal means Mexico will pay for his wall

The GOP’s top vote counter, John Cornyn, told CNN that Mike Pence affirmed that Trump would sign the bill that punts the debate over his border wall to next year.

That bill has not cleared the legislative branch yet, however, and the White House did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment. 

Earlier in the week, the White House denied that Trump was mulling a short-term spending bill that doesn’t fund his wall, but as a shutdown loomed the presiddent’s spokeswoman indicated that Trump would sign whatever the Senate sends him. 

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also said Tuesday that Trump has tasked every Cabinet secretary to look through agency funds to see what if anything they can redirect to the border wall.

Trump has claimed he could tap the military or use money that’s reaped from his trade accord. 

There is nothing in the trade agreement that requires Mexico to pay for the wall. The administration is making a more nuanced argument that taxpayers and businesses will be saving money on goods and services that they will inject back into the U.S. economy. 

Sanders insisted on Tuesday that savings through the trade deal with Mexico and Canada would provide the revenue that would pay for wall. 

‘The President has been clear that the USMCA deal would provide additional revenue through that deal that would show that Mexico was paying for the wall,’ she said.

She added: ‘He’s saying that the revenue provided and the money that would be saved through the USMCA deal, we could pay for the wall four times over. And by doing that new trade deal, we have the opportunity to pay for the wall.’

The agreement isn’t even legal yet. Although the three leaders of the U.S., Canada and Mexico signed the trade deal, the legislative bodies in each respective country must approve it before its binding. None of them have done so. 

And there’s no direct line of revenue from the agreement to the U.S. Treasury. Tax revenue generated by the trade provisions would not come from Mexico but from U.S. tax payers and corporations.

A fact check by the Anneberg Public Policy Center found Trump’s claim of indirect payment by Mexico to be false. 

The center talked to economists to see if the USMCA would provide enough revenue to pay for the wall, using a figure the White House released in January: $25 billion.  

‘Even if we accept conceptually the argument that government revenue attributable to the revised trade agreement constitutes ‘Mexico paying for the wall,’ there are no plausible assumptions of USMCA’s impact that would see government revenue increase by $25 billion,’ Geoffrey Gertz, a fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution, told the center. 

Trump previously has threatened to use the military if Democrats wouldn’t fully fund his border wall. As commander-in-chief he can issue orders to the troops. 

But Congressional Democrats have warned that the Pentagon does not have the power to redirect funding to the border wall. 

The Constitution requires Congressional approval before money can be allocated and spent, which Democrat argues applies to this move.

President Trump has also directed his Cabinet secretaries to look for funds that could be converted to building his border wall, which Democrats have also protested as illegal.

Sanders said the White House legal team was examining if such a move could be made. 

‘That’s their entire job is determining whether or something is legal and we are looking to those individuals to find out those specific pots of money that can be used for that,’ she said at her briefing Tuesday.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the administration's legal team was looking into whether the White House could redirect funds to build the border wall

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the administration’s legal team was looking into whether the White House could redirect funds to build the border wall

Trump is vowing to fight for his wall

Trump is vowing to fight for his wall

It's estimated it would cost $5 billion to build the president's border wall

It’s estimated it would cost $5 billion to build the president’s border wall

Trump also vowed on Wednesday he ‘will win on the wall’ after the White House signaled it was ditching its demand for $5 billion in funding for his signature issue.

‘One way or the other, we will win on the Wall!,’ Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning as the clock ticked toward Friday’s partial government shutdown.

His protestation comes amid Congress’ push for a two-month stop gap solution that would fund the government through February 8, which would keep it open through the holidays. 

Trump’s tweet didn’t offer any specifics on what he was looking for in a win and whether he’d want the money appropriated in any stop-gap measure or would be willing to wait and take up the fight again in the new year.

The president tweeted twice on the matter Wednesday morning.

An earlier tweeted suggested he had more thoughts to come with he wrote: ‘In our Country, so much money has been poured down the drain, for so many years, but the Democrats fight us like cats and dogs when it comes to spending on Boarder Security (including a Wall) and the Military. We won on the Military, it is being completely rebuilt. We will win…’

But he deleted that tweet and, six minutes later, offered a more succinct tweet: ‘In our Country, so much money has been poured down the drain, for so many years, but when it comes to Border Security and the Military, the Democrats fight to the death. We won on the Military, which is being completely rebuilt. One way or the other, we will win on the Wall!’

Lawmakers are scheduled to leave town on Friday and Trump is looking to go Mar-a-Lago for the holidays. 

Hopes were raised on Tuesday a deal would happen before Friday’s deadline when the White House signaled it would be willing to accept less than the $5 billion that Trump has been demanding for his wall.

‘We will work with Congress if they will make sure we get a bill passed that provides not just the funding for the wall, but there’s a piece of legislation that’s been pushed around that Democrats actually voted 26-5 out of committee that provides roughly $26 billion for border security including $1.6 billion for the wall,’ White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News. ‘That’s something that we would be able to support as long as we can couple that with other funding resources.’

The president on Tuesday sidestepped a question on whether he was still willing to shut down the government to get his $5 billion in funding.

‘We need border security,’ was his response.

As for a government shutdown, Trump said: ‘We’ll see what happens. It’s too early to say.’

Republicans in the Senate pushed for a compromise that would agree to the $1.6 billion Democrats are willing to fund for the wall while giving Trump some funds to play with – thus giving the president a win in his retreat.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed a bill containing the $1.6 billion for the wall along with a $1 billion so-called ‘slush fund’ that the president could use on boarder security. Democrats, however, rejected the offer. 

Mitch McConnell

Chuck Schumer

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnnell (left) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (right) are working on a temporary measure to fund the government

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said his caucus ‘would not accept a billion dollar slush fund’ for the president. 

‘Leader Schumer and I have said that we cannot accept the offer they made of a billion-dollar slush fund for the president to implement his very wrong immigration policies, so that won’t happen,’ noted expected, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

A short-term funding extension, called a ‘continuing resolution,’ would let lawmakers avoid the images of a government shutdown at Christmas while punting the solution to Democrats, who take control of the House of Representatives in January. 

It would prevent the third government shut down this year after temporary closures in January and February during funding fights.  

Any deal would have to be signed off on by Trump and lawmakers remain unsure exactly what the president would accept.

The White House kicked the can down Pennsylvania Avenue to Congress on Tuesday.

‘You know, at this point, the Senate has thrown out a lot of ideas. We’re disappointed in the fact that they’ve yet to actually vote on something and pass something,’ Sanders said at the White House press briefing. ‘So when they do that, we’ll make a determination on whether or not we’re going to sign that.’ 

McConnell said he was sure the government would remain open.

‘Yeah I am,’ he said when asked about it on Tuesday.  

Trump on Tuesday said 'we'll see' what happens in regards to a shutdown

Trump on Tuesday said ‘we’ll see’ what happens in regards to a shutdown

Funding for the government runs out Friday at midnight

Funding for the government runs out Friday at midnight

Most areas of the federal government have already been funded through other appropriations bills. Roughly 25 percent of agencies are operating off of a Continuing Resolution that will technically expire early Saturday morning.

Roughly 420,000 federal workers, including most law enforcement, would be deemed essential in the course of a shutdown and required to remain on the job. They would receive back pay in the event of a partial government closure, CNN reports.

All other workers would be considered non-essential and sent home on an unpaid leave of absence. Congress typically gives them back pay for days missed, costing the government time and money for work that wasn’t actually done.

It can take weeks for the money to arrive, especially if the shutdown lasts until Democrats take control of the House the first few days in January, putting a financial squeeze on families over the Christmas holiday.  

The Departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, State, Interior, Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce and Justice would be affected.

 



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