https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/426871-trump-would-consider-short-term-funding-bill-only-with-down-paymentTrump would consider short-term funding bill only with 'down payment' on wall: White House
By Jordan Fabian - 01/24/19 04:42 PM EST
President Trump will only accept a stopgap spending bill to reopen the government if it contains a “down payment†for his long-desired border wall, the White House said Thursday, shortly after the Senate rejected two separate funding bills.
“The president would consider a CR only if it includes a down payment on the wall,†White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement to The Hill.
In a follow-up statement, Sanders said the measure must include a “large†down payment but she declined to state a specific dollar amount.
The statement represents a possible shift for Trump, who has demanded $5.7 billion for the wall in exchange for ending the government shutdown, which has stretched into its 34th day.
It comes amid talk on Capitol Hill about a three-week funding measure to reopen the government while buying more time for immigration talks. Trump discussed the measure on Thursday by phone with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
The Senate on Thursday voted down two proposals that would have reopened the government, including one proposed by the White House that contained Trump's request for wall funding as well as other immigration measures.
