Donald Trump Says He Might Veto Spending Bill

President Trump said he might veto the sweeping $1.3 trillion spending bill passed early Friday — a move that likely would lead to a government shutdown — because it does nothing to address the fate of young undocumented immigrants and does not fully fund his border wall.

In a Friday morning tweet, Trump said that those protected from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program have been “totally abandoned” by Congress, and he blamed the Democrats.

On Thursday afternoon, senior Trump administration officials told reporters that Trump intended to sign the spending bill, making no mention of the president’s concern.

Trump, who has sought to cancel the program, was seeking a deal that would give Democrats protections they sought for DACA recipients in exchange for additional funding of $25 billion for his long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. The bill included a minor down payment of $1.6 billion on his marquee campaign promise.

“I am considering a VETO of the Omnibus Spending Bill based on the fact that the 800,000 plus DACA recipients have been totally abandoned by the Democrats (not even mentioned in Bill) and the BORDER WALL, which is desperately needed for our National Defense, is not fully funded,” Trump Said.

Lawmakers have left town on a two-week recess, some of them on overseas trips and with no plans to return to Washington. The House passed the bill midday Thursday, and the Senate cleared the measure shortly after midnight.

If a bill is not signed by midnight Friday, there will be a government shutdown.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) rushed to the White House to reassure Trump, who was unhappy with the nearly finalized spending bill.

The president was upset with the money for the border wall, and he griped about a proposed tunnel between New York and New Jersey a project beloved by Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) — that Trump has ferociously tried to block as part of the negotiations.

Veto threats were made then, too, but after conversations with Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the White House issued a statement saying Trump supported the bill.