Mulvaney: Trump Would Sign a Spending Bill Without Funding For Border Wall

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said Tuesday that President Trump would sign a spending bill that does not include funding for his border wall.

Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper, who asked whether the president would be willing to even sign a bill that didn’t include funding for his border wall, Mulvaney replied, “Yeah, because I think the bill, at least the offer that we received from the Democrats the last couple days included a good bit of money for border security.”

While he said Democrats have threatened a government shutdown over the actual wall, “but there’s a lot of things we agree on, both parties do, in securing the border, and it allows the president to follow through on his promise to make that border more secure.”

This does not mean, however, that the Trump administration will not follow through on its promise to build a wall, he said.

Their agreement comes as the midnight Friday deadline approaches, and a possible government shutdown looms.

Mulvaney said the administration doesn’t plan “to back down” from its promise to build a border wall.

"We just thought that it would be a good first step to get these things that everybody agrees on and take that idea of a government shutdown off the table," Mulvaney continued.

Mulvaney said budget discussions for Fiscal Year 2018 will begin “as soon as this bill is signed.”

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/...border-wall-n2318485

These spending resolutions are the problem.

How long has it been since Congress passed, and the President signed into law, an actual budget?

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These spending resolutions are the problem.

Yes, any time you hear the words 'omnibus' or 'continuing resolution' you know nothing is being 'resolved', the can is being kicked further down the road, and the debt will climb further into the stratosphere.

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How long has it been since Congress passed, and the President signed into law, an actual budget?

Congress is historically spotty when it comes to agreeing on a budget resolution — the last time it happened was in 2009.

How the federal budget is supposed to work and why it rarely does
https://www.minnpost.com/dc-di...d-why-it-rarely-does

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While he said Democrats have threatened a government shutdown over the actual wall

Do it. Just do it. Please.

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There’s an important lesson for conservatives in the news this week, if they’re willing to learn from it. Appeasement always fails. Always.

Throughout history people have been desperate to avoid conflict. Many are willing to do anything to stave off a fight. In politics it is no different.

https://townhall.com/columnist...e-with-guts-n2316874

Mulvaney On Latest Government Shutdown Status: "I'm Not Sure What's Happening"

Earlier this week, courtesy of Trump's latest flip-flop on the border wall, it looked as though a path had been cleared for a bi-partisan funding bill to be passed that would avert a government shutdown starting Friday night.

That said, it seems that Democrats may actually be eager to force a government shutdown after all. As budget director Mick Mulvaney explained to CNN last night, after giving in on border wall funding, something Dems defined as a critical issue to avert a shutdown, Democrats have apparently gone radio silent.

Tapper: "And there will be an agreement, you think?"

Mulvaney: "I hope so. Here's what concerns me. We informed the democrats yesterday that we were not going to insist, for now, on bricks and mortar [for the border wall]. We're going to move that discussion to September of this year for fiscal year 18. And we thought that was going to get a deal done. And we've not heard anything from them today. So, now i'm not so sure what is happening. I'd be curious to ask the democrats where they stand on a shutdown right now because we thought we had a deal as of yesterday."

As Reuters points out, now that funding for the border wall is off the table, democrats are suddenly far more interested in securing funding for healthcare subsidies and Puerto Rico's Medicaid program.

The most powerful Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said on Tuesday his party is concerned about the ratio of increase in defense and non-defense spending. Democrats prefer a one-to-one ratio, and boosting both sides of the budget equally could become a sticking point in negotiations.

Democrats also want provisions for more healthcare coverage for coal miners and appropriations for healthcare subsidies. Health insurance would abruptly become unaffordable for 6 million Americans who rely on cost-sharing subsidies under the national health plan commonly called Obamacare.

Democrats have been seeking immediate assistance for a funding gap in Puerto Rico's Medicaid program, federal health insurance for the poor, saying it is in such bad shape that 1 million people are set to lose healthcare.

But, as Mulvaney noted above, Trump has vowed to cut off Obamacare subsidies, at least until this next flip, and Democrats seemingly raised the Puerto Rico issue out of no where.

Mulvaney also said Trump would not agree to including Obamacare subsidies in a spending bill.

He told CNN that Democrats "raised Puerto Rico for the first time a couple of days ago," but did not give Trump's stance on the Medicaid assistance.

Of course, it's only logical that Democrats would secretly want a government shut down. In the end, Republicans (i.e. the fiscally conservative party that is generally looking to reduce entitlements rather than increase them) typically tend to take the brunt of the public backlash for government shutdowns and all of the media coverage provides a very effective bully pulpit for liberals. Well played, Chuck and Nancy.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/...vert-friday-shutdown

Seems like Trump has backed them into a corner once again.

Thinking he would never back down from the wall, they would use that as an excuse to continue their obstructionism while "standing" for something they believe in. Now they have lost that cover.

Because that's worked out so well in the past.

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Originally posted by Shaql:

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While he said Democrats have threatened a government shutdown over the actual wall

Do it. Just do it. Please.