The Senate passed a bill late Wednesday to avoid a partial government shutdown, sending it to the House for its expected approval before a midnight Friday deadline.
Still, President Donald Trump has given no indication whether he will sign the legislation to keep the government running through Feb. 8. He has lamented a lack of money for his proposed border wall, a key campaign promise that tripped up talks in Congress.
The Senate unanimously approved the legislation to fund seven agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, at their current levels into February. The House could take up the bill Thursday despite opposition within the Republican caucus. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has said Democrats will support the measure.
House Republicans huddled Thursday morning. They could give more clarity about their plans following the meeting.
If the House passes the bill and Trump signs it, lawmakers will dodge the third government shutdown this year and delay the ongoing immigration debate until Democrats hold a House majority next year. But Trump — who said last week he would be "proud" to shut down the government over the wall — has left the door open to vetoing the bill. The hardline GOP House Freedom Caucus and Trump's allies in the conservative media have urged him not to sign a bill that does not fund the barrier.
Lawmakers have already funded five departments, including the Pentagon and Health and Human Services. The seven unfunded agencies make up about a quarter of the government.
In tweets Thursday morning, the president both threatened retribution for Democrats for not funding the wall and appeared to downplay the need for the barrier. Democrats "know Steel Slats (Wall) are necessary for Border Security" but "are putting politics over Country," he contended. He threatened not to "sign any of their legislation, including infrastructure, unless it has perfect Border Security."
Trump tweet
But the president seemed to contradict himself in his next tweet. He suggested he did not need the barrier for strong border security. Trump said U.S. agencies have done a "great job" at the border.
"Border is tight. Fake News silent!" he wrote.
Trump tweet
As of Wednesday, the White House had not indicated whether Trump would sign the bill. The president will "take a look" and decide whether to approve it once he sees what Congress passes, a senior administration official told CNBC.
Trump sought $5 billion for the proposed wall in the spending package. Democrats flatly denied his request in a heated Oval Office discussion last week.
The conservative Freedom Caucus, staunch supporters of the president and his immigration agenda, pushed for the $5 billion in wall money on the House floor Wednesday night. They also called for an end to the so-called catch and release immigration policy.
Trump has started to justify his failure to secure wall funding in the spending bill. As a candidate, he repeatedly promised Mexico would pay for the barrier. On Wednesday, he claimed America's southern neighbor will fund the wall through his revised North American trade agreement, an assertion the White House has struggled to explain.
He also contended that the U.S. military will construct the wall — a process that could also require congressional appropriations.
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