TRUMP TO SPEAK AT 1:00 P.M. EDT
by Sharon Rondeau
(Mar. 23, 2018) — As of Thursday, OMB Director Mick Mulvaney had said that President Donald Trump would sign the $1.3 trillion Omnibus bill whose passage would be necessary to continue to fund government operations by midnight Friday.
Early Friday morning, it was reported that both chambers of Congress had passed the spending bill, with the Senate overnight by a vote of 65-32.
However, Trump tweeted early Friday morning that he was “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.”
He also criticized the bill for failing to provide funding to build a new wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, a mainstay of Trump’s 2016 campaign and first 14 months of his administration. The bill increases military spending, which Trump wanted, although it funds Planned Parenthood and does not ban funding for sanctuary cities.
The Trump administration has taken a strong stand in favor of a culture of life and against “sanctuary” cities, counties and states which refuse to cooperate with detainers issued by the Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
The House Freedom Caucus had issued a statement on Wednesday indicating that it disapproved of the bill. Following the House’s vote on Thursday, the chamber adjourned until Monday, with some members leaving Washington to attend the funeral of Rep. Louise Slaughter, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 88.
With its passage by the Senate early Friday morning, many in the media assumed that it would “avert a government shutdown” with Trump’s signature.
Constitutionally, if Trump vetoes the measure, a two-thirds majority in both chambers is necessary to override the veto and force it to become law.
At approximately 12:38 p.m. EDT, Trump tweeted that there will be a presser at 1:00 p.m. specifically about the bill. At 12:47, Harris Faulkner of Fox News announced that Trump personally will speak to the American people from the Diplomatic Room at the White House, taking the address out of the category of a routine press briefing.
At 1:08, Faulker said that the AP reported that Trump is expected to sign the bill.
At 1:11, Mark Knoller of CBS News reported that Trump will sign the bill.
I’d rather it shut down than be stuck with this ridiculous budget:
“$4 billion to address the country’s opioid crisis – which is not the same program Trump’s administration outlined.
Funding that can be used for the controversial Gateway project, which aims to bolster railway infrastructure between New York and New Jersey
A technical fix to the tax bill that now will give grain buyers — regardless of whether they are a co-op or not — equal footing
$1.57 billion for border security, including barriers and technology – where’s the WALL?
The bill does nothing to reduce or eliminate funding to Planned Parenthood. The 4th Amendment also takes another hit, thanks to the inclusion of the CLOUD Act to the spending bill. The provision eliminates judicial protections to personal electronic data and empowers the executive branch to negotiate with foreign countries on what they can take from private servers and share with one another. Language in the bill explicitly bars any Department of Justice funding be used to crack down on any state that has legalized “medical marijuana”. The language here is worth noting however, because it still leaves the door open for Federal action against recreational cannabis.”