President Donald Trump will not sign a Senate-passed spending bill, increasing the chances of a partial government shutdown, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday after meeting with the president.
The Senate unanimously approved the legislation Wednesday night to keep the government funded through Feb. 8. With Trump’s support, it appeared set to breeze through the House before the midnight Friday deadline to fund seven government agencies.
But Trump, who seeks $5 billion to fund his proposed border wall, will refuse to sign the measure without his desired border security measures. Trump’s decision throws more chaos into the late scramble to keep the government running through Christmas and the New Year.
“We just had a very long, productive meeting with the president,” Ryan told reporters after a handful of House Republicans huddled with the president for more than an hour. “The president informed us that he will not sign the bill that came up from the Senate last evening because of his legitimate concerns for border security.”
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
