Trump Willing to Delay Fight Over Border Wall Funding

White House 'confident' shutdown can be avoided
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 25, 2017 5:22 AM CDT
Updated Apr 25, 2017 6:28 AM CDT
White House Believes It Can Avert Shutdown
President Donald Trump poses for a portrait in the Oval Office in last week.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Saturday will be President Trump's 100th day in office and his administration seems confident that the day won't feature a government shutdown, despite disagreements over funding for his border wall. Trump told conservative journalists at a White House reception Monday evening that he is willing to delay the border wall fight until September, Politico reports. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that he is "very confident" there will be an agreement by the Friday deadline, though he said he can't guarantee there will be no shutdown, and declined to confirm whether Trump will sign a spending bill that does not include wall funding, reports the Washington Post.

White House officials have also signaled that they may be open to a compromise with Democrats that includes funding for border security but not a physical wall—an option that some Republicans say would actually fulfill Trump's campaign promises. "There will never be a 2,200-mile wall built, period," says Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, per the Post. "I think it’s become symbolic of better border security. It’s a code word for better border security." For now, GOP sources tell the Hill, it appears increasingly likely that some kind of stopgap funding measure will be agreed upon to prevent a government shutdown Saturday. (More government shutdown stories.)

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