House passes spending bill with border wall money — setting up shutdown stalemate with Senate
PUBLISHED THU, DEC 20 2018 • 6:00 PM EST | UPDATED FRI, DEC 21 2018 • 11:02 AM EST
Jacob Pramuk@JACOBPRAMUK
KEY POINTS
- The House passes a temporary spending bill with more than $5 billion for President Donald Trump’s border wall.
- The legislation is unlikely to get approval in the Senate, potentially increasing the chances of a partial government shutdown.
- Funding for nine departmentswill lapse if lawmakers cannot pass funding bills by a midnight Friday deadline.
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VIDEO01:18
President Trump promises ‘very long’ government shutdown over border wall funding
The House passed a temporary spending bill Thursday with money for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall, further muddying the scramble to dodge a partial government shutdown by Friday.
The chamber approved the measure to keep the government running into February by a 217-185 vote. But the path forward now is murky. The bill likely will not clear the Senate because it includes more than $5 billion for the border barrier, increasing the chances that funding for nine departments lapses after the midnight Friday deadline.
Senators were told Thursday to prepare for potential votes Friday. The chamber convenes at noon.
The Senate unanimously approved a bill Wednesday night to keep the government running through Feb. 8 — without border wall money. Trump insisted Thursday that he would not sign it. It forced House Republicans to include the wall money in the new bill.