Posted on 05/01/2017 9:24:32 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A deal has been reached on a $1 trillion-plus bill to fund the government for the final five months of this fiscal year, an agreement that is likely to avert a government shutdown.
Congressional negotiators had been working through the weekend to hash out the last remaining complications in a bill to fund the government before the agreement was announced Sunday night.
After President Donald Trump backed down on funding for the construction of a border wall, some additional sticking points remained, including health benefits for coal miners, funding for Puerto Rico and an additional $30 billion for defense, delaying congressional negotiators and causing them to miss their deadline of last Friday. Congress passed and Trump signed into law a one-week extension to keep the government open and give negotiators more time.
The newly reached deal includes an additional $15 billion in defense spending, less than what Trump asked for, but still $25 billion more than last year's spending. It also includes a permanent fix to fund coal miners' health care instead of a temporary extension.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the deal "a good agreement for the American people" that "takes the threat of a government shutdown off the table."
"The bill ensures taxpayer dollars aren't used to fund an ineffective border wall, excludes poison pill riders and increases investments in programs that the middle-class relies on, like medical research, education and infrastructure," Schumer said Sunday night.
"Early on in this debate, Democrats clearly laid out our principles," he said. "At the end of the day, this is an agreement that reflects those principles."
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
Spicer gave a lame excuse.... saying it isn’t our budget. Really? Who won the election Spicey??? Who is giving the Democrats everything while restricting the Wall? Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.
RE: Count copulot could be ‘leading’ his fellow neverTrumpers in the senate
Stopped reading right there.
Ted Cruz was NOT a NeverTrumper. He voted for Trump and supported him after he got elected.
If you are going to bash Cruz, at least get your facts right.
Heard Spicer say the President is “pleased with what is in the CR” and would sign it.
Stop pissing in our ears and telling us it’s raining.
If President Trump doesn’t veto this, it was all a lie.
RE: In other words, he’s a repellent human being and could NEVER get the majority of people behind him in the way Trump did.
In the way Trump did huh?
As in what? This Spending bill?
Wake me up when we get the Wall, a satisfactory Obamacare repeal bill, and tax reform. Otherwise, the phrase “get people behind” is just as laughable.
“Trump needs to learn how to govern”
lol. What a maroon.
But he looked unhappy throughout the entire presser.
You’re normally pretty sharp...It’s the total corruption stoopid.
Imo, if Trump had free rein & didn’t fear an impeachment by his own party, I think he would have told the courts & congress to stick it. Then again, he maybe listening too much to the rinos in his inner circle.
Not "draining the swamp" nor "the Uniparty" but separation of powers.
That is, as a CEO, he could summarily fire people who didn't do what he wanted.
He cannot fire Congress.
I don't have time, or I'd write a vanity / analysis of this: it goes deeper than one would think, particularly the motivation of the GOPe and their obvious strategy.
(CNSNews.com) - The omnibus spending bill posted online early on May 1 gives the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a total of $42.4 billion in discretionary funding for the remainder of fiscal year 2017, an increase of $1.45 billion above the fiscal year 2016 enacted level.
Of that total, $11.4 billion is available for border and immigration enforcement; $6.4 billion for ICE activities; $1.8 billion for protection against cyberterrorism; $7.8 billion for aviation security; and billions more for natural disaster response and efforts to stop the smuggling of drugs and people into the U.S., according to the bill summary.
The legislation [1] does not include initial funding for President Trump’s border wall. But it does give Trump $1.1 billion in supplemental spending for “border security technologies and existing infrastructure improvements.
Customs and Border Protection:
The bill contains $11.4 billion in discretionary appropriations for CBP – an increase of $137 million above the fiscal year 2016 enacted level.
“These resources ensure the nation’s borders are protected by putting boots on the ground, improving technology, and stemming the flow of illegal activities in and out of the country,” the summary said.
$772 million in supplemental spending is provided for improvements to and maintenance of existing infrastructure, technology investments, and increased Border Patrol agent hiring.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):
The bill appropriates $6.4 billion for ICE – $550 million above the fiscal year 2016 enacted level.
This includes $617 million – $380 million in base funding and $237 million in supplemental funding – for additional detention beds and transportation and removal costs.
Within the $$6.4 billion total, the legislation includes:
$3.7 billion for detention and removal programs, including:
-- 39,324 detention beds, electronic monitoring, and GPS tracking alternatives to detention;
-- 129 Fugitive Operations teams and 100 new officers to enforce immigration laws; and
-- Criminal Alien Program operations, including the 287(g) program, which partners with local law enforcement to process, arrest, and book illegal immigrants into state or local detention facilities.
ICE also is getting $2.1 billion for domestic and international investigations programs, including combatting human trafficking, child exploitation, cybercrime, visa screening, and drug smuggling.
This has nothing to do with separation of powers, this has to do with total corruption. An illegitimate federal gubbermint.
This is not just Trump’s ‘problem’, America’s very survival is at stake.
His fate and America’s fate are inextricably intertwined.
In the way Trump did huh?
As in what? This Spending bill?
—
No... as in getting millions of people to elect him President. It would not have been remotely possible with Cruz.
well heck if he looked unhappy it’s all good.
RE: No... as in getting millions of people to elect him President. It would not have been remotely possible with Cruz.
Well, what’s there to complain?
People don’t vote for Cruz and then in a thread that has NOTHING to do with Cruz, start bashing him for not exercising leadership when he is not even in that position.
The issue at hand is what is happening NOW. With Trump as our leader.
The fact is Cruz has been nothing but supportive of Trump , yet, what do people do? They still bash him.
And the military got an extra $15 billion infusion. The bill funds the government thru September 30. The wall can't be built until the design phase is completed. It is now underway. The funds for construction will be in the FY 2018 budget. There will be ways to get Mexico to pay for the wall whether it is a surcharge on remittances or visas. Chill.
I have more trust in Trump than you do. He is committed to constructing the wall. The deal this time included more money for border security as well as an additional $15 billion for the military. If we are still talking about this the same time next year, then I will be concerned.
I honestly just want to see Trump win. He's not winning. The inmates are running the asylum. I'd love to see him trash this whole game, bankrupt the bankrupt and take us back to the stone age if he has to.
They would have done the same or worse to Cruz or anybody else. 
We need somebody to make us jump. Don't ya wanna jump?
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