Congress will approve $ 1.375 billion for a wall along the southern border as part of the $ 1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill for the next fiscal year, according to GOP sources.
Congress is expected to approve the measure Monday, along with a $ 900 billion COVID-19 bill. The White House signaled this on Sunday evening President Trump
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Trump had previously given conflicting signals as to whether he would back the massive package that congressional leaders in both parties backed Sunday. The money for the border wall, which matches the funding taken up last year for Trump’s signature issue, could be another reason for Trump to sign the bill.
Funding for the wall has been a regular bottleneck in annual spending accounts, leading to the nation’s longest shutdown in December 2018.
The budget law requires the government to spend allocated funds, but it is unclear whether the president elected Joe Biden
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Funding for the wall in this measure was set to continue after Trump leaves office.
Trump had asked for $ 2 billion for the wall by 2021, but the Democrats put no funding for the project in their credit accounts, going so far as to reclaim funds from previous years and block transfers from other accounts using emergency powers in legislation that in the House.
The $ 1.375 billion amount is the same that the Democrats and Republicans agreed in a compromise spending bill last year.
While Trump has been vociferous about pushing for funding for the wall in previous years, the issue took the back seat in this year’s negotiations as Congress focused on the COVID-19 legislation.