CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The U.S. Congress approved Thursday a funding bill covering appropriations for a quarter of the federal government’s operations, in addition to setting aside less than $1.4 billion for walls on the southern border.
Lawmakers passed the deal following the news President Donald Trump would sign it and declare a national emergency to get billions of dollars for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.
The resolution provides funding for nine federal departments, including the Department of Justice and the Department of State, as well as various agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Internal Revenue Services. The bill dedicates more than $22 billion dollars for border security, which involves physical barriers, addressing humanitarian issues and new technology. Funding will also go toward adding 200 Border Patrol agents.
The nearly $1.4 billion will go toward 55 miles of physical barriers for areas of high priority in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. Trump requested $5.7 billion in December for a southern border wall, while the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee approved $1.6 billion for border security, which Trump rejected.
Trump’s rejection late last year led to the partial government shutdown in December and January, which left around 800,000 federal workers working with pay or furloughed.
The Senate passed the funding bill in an 83-16 vote, with Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., voting in the majority. Lawmakers in the House of Representatives approved the resolution in a 300-128 vote, with Reps. David McKinley and Carol Miller voted for the measure, Congressman Alex Mooney voted “nay” along with more than 100 other Republicans.
Capito served on the bipartisan conference committee that negotiated a deal over the past two weeks. She is also the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee.
“This is an agreement, compromise between Republicans and Democrats, between the House and the Senate. And because it is a compromise, not everybody got everything that we wanted,” she said on the Senate floor. “When you’re working to reach an agreement, whether you’re in government or in a family, it’s important to understand the difference between compromising on details and compromising on your principles.”
Manchin struck a similar tone in a press release following the vote, focusing much of his attention on other provisions of the deal; the Department of Justice will provide additional research and grant funding for addressing opioid misuse, and millions of dollars will go toward broadband and infrastructure development in rural communities.
“Although it took us a long time to get here, I’m glad we’ve finally passed these bills, avoided another harmful government shutdown and funded the border wall and border security,” he said.
Trump is expected to announce Friday he will use executive action to get $8 billion for a border wall. A White House official told CNN the president will use multiple funding sources to reach a total of $8 billion for the structure.
Trump promised repeatedly as a presidential candidate, and after taking office, Mexico would pay for the wall. More than 650 miles of structures at the border already exists.
Capito and Manchin said during the 35-day partial government shutdown they would be fine if Trump declared a national emergency to get wall funding.
With the government open and a day before a partial shutdown would happen, Capito is the only one of the state’s senators to still support such action.
“Our agreement makes a significant down payment on the president’s ultimate border security goal, and to help further achieve that goal, I plan to support his national emergency declaration,” she said in a press release.
Manchin told MetroNews in a statement a national emergency declaration was not needed given the congressional deal before the president.
“Now that Congress has funded almost $3 billion for border security and technology, I don’t believe a national emergency is necessary,” he said. “I will continue to work to secure the border.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — who previously opposed declaring an emergency — announced his support for such action on the Senate floor. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized the move.
“Declaring a national emergency would be a lawless act, a gross abuse of the power of the presidency and a desperate attempt to distract from the fact that President Trump broke his core promise to have Mexico pay for his wall,” the leaders said in a press release.
“It is yet another demonstration of President Trump’s naked contempt for the rule of law. This is not an emergency, and the president’s fearmongering doesn’t make it one.”
If Trump signs the funding bill, it would keep the affected government departments and agencies open through Sept. 30.