The Senate and then the House passed a spending bill to avert another government shutdown on Friday but the bill gives President Donald Trump less than he demanded for a border wall. He said he’ll declare an emergency to get additional funds for a barrier, Bloomberg reported.
“The bill contains critical funding for border security and many essential priorities throughout the country,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, a leader in the spending negotiations, said. “The legislation will impact the entire state of Alabama by funding important projects that will influence our state’s agriculture, transportation, law enforcement, and civil space industries.”
In an 83-16 vote, senators agreed to provide $1.375 billion for 55 new miles of fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border, far short of the $5.7 billion the president sought, Roll Call reported. Both Shelby and U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Mountain Brook, voted for the conference report.
The House passed it Thursday night voting 300-128 to complete congressional action to avert a government shutdown, Roll Call reported.
Nineteen Democrats voted against the measure as did most Republicans. Representatives Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, and Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, were the only members from Alabama to vote for the bill.
“President Trump will sign the government funding bill, and as he has stated before, he will also take other executive action – including a national emergency – to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border,” Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. “The President is once again delivering on his promise to build the wall, protect the border, and secure our great country.”
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS REACT TO PRESIDENT’S EMERGENCY PROMISE
WASHINGTON, D.C – U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) released the following statement on the possibility of President Trump declaring a national emergency:
“The President is pounding his fists after failing to secure billions of dollars for a wasteful, ineffective brick-and-mortar wall that the vast majority of Americans do not support. His actions are a clear abuse of power and set a dangerous precedent. Instead, the President should be focused on addressing some of the real emergencies facing our country – gun violence, the opioid crisis, crumbling infrastructure and poverty.”
Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL) issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency regarding the situation at the southern border.
Byrne said: “I wish it hadn’t come to this point, but the Democrats have left President Trump with no choice. There is a true crisis at the southern border, and I support President Trump 100% in this decision because border security is national security.”