Despite Trump Veto Threat, House Passes Bill To End Shutdown Without Wall Funding


The U.S. House of Representatives, on the first day of the 116th Congressional term, voted to pass a bill that would end a partial government shutdown that began on December 22.

The bill passed the Democratic-run House on Thursday, hours after the party officially took control of that chamber of Congress, ABC News reported. The bill would restore funding to fully re-open the federal government, but would not provide $5.6 billion in funds requested by President Donald Trump to extend a border wall or barrier on the U.S. southern border with Mexico.

Trump has made funding for a border wall a requirement of his that he has so far refused to budge on. The president has said he will veto any bill that reaches his desk to re-open the government if it doesn’t include money for the wall.

Pelosi said that Democrats would never pass a bill in their chamber that would provide funding for the wall.

“The fact is a wall is an immorality. It’s not who we are as a nation,” Pelosi said earlier in the day. “It’s a wall between reality and his constituents, his supporters.”

Six appropriations bills passed Thursday night, by margins of 241 for funding parts of the government versus 190 who opposed the measures. A separate bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security through the start of February also passed, 239 votes in favor to 192 votes opposed.

The passage of the bills has at least some bipartisan support, as there are only presently 235 Democrats in the House to begin with, according to the House of Representatives’ website — at least a few Republicans had to support the measures as well.

The bill could feasibly reach Trump’s desk sometime this week or next. Prior to the shutdown in December, the Republican-led Senate did pass a spending measure of its own without wall funding. The House, at that time led by Republicans also, refused to pass that bill and instead passed one with funding for the wall after Trump demanded a new bill doing so, according to reporting from CNBC, creating a stalemate which led to the partial government shutdown.

Prior to the shutdown, Trump told Democratic Congressional leaders that he would take responsibility for the shutdown if it occurred, previous reporting from the Inquisitr noted. Yet earlier on Thursday, Trump seemed to abandon that promise, suggesting in a tweet that Democrats were trying to use the shutdown as a means to bolster their electoral prospects in 2020.

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