Trump Will Sign Spending Bill Despite Lack of Wall Money

Trump had long threatened shutdown if he didn't get his wall

After months of threatening a government shutdown if Congress didn’t agree to pay for his wall around Mexico, President Trump has confirmed that he will sign the spending bill passed by the House on Wednesday night, despite it not funding the wall.

Trump has made building the wall a top priority since the 2016 campaign. During the campaign, he insisted the wall would effectively be free, and that the Mexicans would pay for it. Mexico has refused, so recently he has focused on getting Congress to pay for it.

Vetoing the spending bill would lead to a government shutdown on October 1, and an immediate political crisis. With the mid-term elections just over a month a way, this may have ultimately been ruled too risky for some in Congress.

It is unclear what the administration’s long-term plans are, with Trump having long emphasized the goal of a wall, but so far being unable to come up with any way to pay for it. Trump would only say of the decision that he’s “going to keep the government open.”

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.