The government funding bill is still being debated among members of Congress, and Democratic leaders have suggested Friday as a benchmark to get an agreement in place. The government, including the Department of Homeland Security, is funded until Feb. 15 which is next Friday, after being partially shuttered for 35 days in December 2018 and January 2019.
“Left to their own devices, I think they can have an agreement on time by Friday,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, said. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., echoed a similar sentiment about the negotiations.
“I think everybody pretty much feels that Friday is the deadline to get it done,” Sen. Hoyer said.
If an agreement isn’t reached by this Friday, it’s unclear if another short-term spending bill could be an option.
During last night’s State of the Union address, President Trump continued to champion his desire for $5.7 billion in border wall funding. While he stopped short of saying he’d declare a national emergency, the President spoke of his desires for the funding and to make good on a key campaign promise.
“In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I’ll get it built,” Trump said.
House Democrats have remained united in denying Trump his request for wall funding. While both sides are working towards avoiding another government shutdown, VP Mike Pence defended the President’s hard stance on border wall funding.
“I never think it’s a mistake … to stand up for what you believe in,” the vice president said on CBS News this morning. Pence went on to say that although the hope is to not have another shutdown, he could not guarantee that there wouldn’t be another one.
