Senator John Cornyn, the Senate Republican whip, has confirmed that Trump will sign a short-term spending deal to avert a government shutdown. The spending deal will contain no money for his proposed border wall.
Trump concedes on the wall
This morning, without any direction from the White House, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a short-term spending measure that would keep the government open through the Friday shutdown deadline. This spending deal would expire in February, setting up a brand new spending fight when Nancy Pelosi is, presumably, the Speaker of the House. (RELATED: Senate Republicans Float Short Term Spending Plan to Avoid Shutdown.) This puts Trump at a massive disadvantage – which is exactly what Pelosi and the Democrats want.
Earlier this week, the President indicated he was malleable on his border-wall funding request. (RELATED: Sarah Sanders Confirms Trump W.H. Ready to Concede On the Border Wall.) However, up until this point, the White House hasn’t indicated if it supports the McConnell measure.
But we’re just getting word that the President is, in fact, willing to sign the short-term deal. Wall Street Journal reporter Kristina L. Peterson confirms that John Cornyn, the number-two Republican in the Senate, just confirmed that Trump is willing to sign the deal. And he knows because he just had lunch with Vice President Pence, who, more than anyone, likely knows where the President is at on the issue.
Cornyn, leaving a lunch with Pence, says Trump will sign a clean CR.
— Kristina L. Peterson (@kristinapet) December 19, 2018
Democrats support the deal – so you know it’s bad
It’s dismaying that the President folded so easily on his signature issue. But it gets worse: Democrats are enthusiastically endorsing this deal.
Schumer: “Democrats will support this CR.”
— Kristina L. Peterson (@kristinapet) December 19, 2018
Pelosi: We will support this continuing resolution.
— Kristina L. Peterson (@kristinapet) December 19, 2018
What an absolute joke. In truth, there’s only so much Trump can do when it comes to getting Congress to pass new spending initiatives. Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Senate Republicans just told voters their voices and votes don’t matter.
It’s a betrayal of the highest order.
