NPR — Congress returns Tuesday from its spring recess, facing yet another down-to-the-wire spate of deal making — and a White House anxious to claim its first major legislative win.
On Friday night, the funding measure lawmakers approved last year to keep the federal government running will expire. The timing leaves members of the House and Senate just four days to reach a new agreement to fund the government, or risk a partial shutdown of federal agencies on Saturday — the 100th day of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Ever aware of the consequences, House Speaker Paul Ryan says passing a spending bill is his primary goal this week — even as the White House is urging the GOP to resuscitate last month’s failed attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and the president is making a fresh push on a tax overhaul.
“Wherever we land will be a product the president can and will support,” said Ryan of the spending bill during a Saturday afternoon conference call with Republican lawmakers, according to a GOP aide.
Border Wall Funding Fight
A viable spending deal will require both Democratic support and President Trump’s ultimate approval, setting a potential political landmine. The White House is signaling that it wants the bill to include new funding to build President Trump’s proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border — though it’s becoming less clear how far they are willing to push the issue.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly says Trump “will be insistent.”
“I think it goes without saying that the president has been pretty straightforward about his desire and the need for a border wall, so I would suspect that he’ll do the right thing for sure, but I would suspect that he’ll be insistent for funding,” Kelly said in an interview Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.
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