Government shutdown less likely now that Trump has relented on border wall

WASHINGTON — The White House appeared Tuesday to be backing off its demand for immediate funding to begin construction of a wall on the Southwest border, opting instead to fight for money in the 2018 budget and make it easier for Congress to avert a government shutdown this week.

President Trump was the only Republican leader pushing for the border wall to be included in the government funding bill that must pass by midnight Friday to prevent a shutdown. Now that he appears to have relented, the bill will not include money for the wall. It is expected to boost spending on other types of border security and for defense programs and combat operations.

Trump told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the wall will still be built "soon" and will be finished by the end of his current four-year term in office.

"We’re already preparing," the president said. "We’re doing plans, we’re doing specifications, we’re doing a lot of work on the wall, and the wall is going to get built...We have plenty of time."

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News that the wall remains a priority for Trump but does not have to be funded in this week's spending bill. House and Senate negotiators are trying to reach a compromise deal to fund federal agencies through the end of fiscal 2017, which ends on Sept. 30.

"Building that wall and having it funded remains an important priority for him, but we also know that can happen later this year and into next year," Conway said Tuesday. "In the interim, you see other smart technology and other resources and tools being used toward border security. We’ll have those enhancements for border security and then moving on to funding and building the wall later on."

Conway's comments came after reports that Trump told a group of about 20 conservative journalists Monday night that he would be willing to wait for border funding until September — when Congress would be working to pass the 2018 spending bills.

However, Trump also made it clear in a Tuesday morning tweet that he has not backed down from his demand for a wall, even if the timing for funding may have changed.

Democratic congressional leaders had warned Monday that Trump's demand for $1.4 billion in emergency funds to begin construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border would lead to a government shutdown because they would not support the funding. Republican leaders need Democrats to help them pass the legislation to keep the government open. Some border-state Republicans also oppose the wall, calling it too costly and ineffective.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., expressed relief at Trump's apparent willingness to drop his demand for immediate funding in the must-pass spending bill.

"I want to say that it's really good news that the president seems to be taking the wall off the table in the negotiations we're having on (a funding) bill this week," Schumer said Tuesday on the Senate floor. "It would remove the prospect of a needless fight over a poison pill proposal that members of both parties don't support. On a bill as important as one to keep the government open, it's a dangerous prospect for the administration to push so hard for such a flawed, incomplete ... proposal on a must-pass spending bill ... If the threat of the wall is removed, as I hope is the case, our negotiations can continue and we can hopefully resolve all of the outstanding issues by Friday."

Pelosi called that "welcome news given the bipartisan opposition to the wall, and the obstacle it has been to the continuing bipartisan negotiations."

"It's time for Congress to act to make it clear that government will remain open for the American people," she said.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said that if Trump has changed his mind about immediate funding for the wall, "I think he’s facing reality."

Trump's initial demand for border wall funding was part of a $33 billion funding request that included $30 billion in extra spending for defense and combat operations and $3 billion for border security, including the wall. Congress is likely to give the president more than $15 million in additional defense spending and some extra money for overall border security that does not include the wall.

"A solitary 2,000 mile wall has never been ... a must-have for anybody in a border state," said Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who has long advocated for increased border security.

Lawmakers, who returned this week from a two-week recess, have not yet unveiled details of the legislation. It's still possible they may need to pass a short stop-gap funding resolution to keep the government open past Friday and give them a few more days to negotiate a long-term bill.

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters Tuesday that "we're hoping to reach an agreement in the next few days." He said he didn't want to speculate on whether lawmakers would need to buy themselves more time by passing the short-term funding measure.

Both McConnell and Schumer said they want to add a provision to the bill to extend health care benefits for retired union coal miners, who will lose those benefits at midnight Friday unless Congress acts. They are seeking a permanent fix for the program and not just another short-term extension.

Schumer said Democrats also want language in the bill to ensure that federal subsidies owed to health insurance companies under Obamacare are paid so that insurance premiums don't go up for low-income families. Trump has threatened to withhold the payments to force Democrats to bargain on a health care bill to replace the Affordable Care Act.

Democrats also are seeking aid for Puerto Rico, which is about to run out of Medicaid money and is facing a major health care crisis.

Contributing: Eliza Collins, Herb Jackson