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White House wish list includes money for Trump wall

by Jordain Carney - 09/04/19 3:08 PM ET

The White House has sent its wish list for a likely stopgap spending bill to the House and Senate Appropriations committees, highlighting their priorities as Congress barrels toward the Oct. 1 funding deadline.

The 21-page document, a copy of which was obtained The Hill, includes requests that Congress authorize funding for the U.S.-Mexico border wall outside of the Rio Grande Valley as part of a continuing resolution (CR).

The ask will likely be a flashpoint as the administration and lawmakers begin negotiations. A funding bill approved by Congress earlier this year included more than $1.3 billion for the border but limited border barrier funding to the Rio Grande Valley.

{mosads}The administration, in its request to Congress, argued that without the new authorization any funding provided by lawmakers as part of a stopgap funding bill “could only be used for projects in that [Rio Grande Valley] Sector, which are already fully funded.”

But House Democrats have already pledged to oppose any push by the administration to loosen restrictions on border barrier funding. Border money as well as related spending like Immigration and Customs Enforcement are expected to be the two biggest hurdles to getting a spending deal.

Lawmakers have until Oct. 1 to prevent the second government shutdown of the year. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) has indicated that a CR will likely be necessary but that it wouldn’t last past early December, setting up a second shutdown deadline closer to the holidays.

The White House document includes requests that the administration would want included as part of any CR that goes through mid-December. Leadership hasn’t publicly agreed on how long a stopgap bill would be needed for.

In addition to loosening up spending restrictions on the border, the administration is requesting for the CR to extend humanitarian assistance related to the border after Congress passed $4.6 billion in emergency funding in June.

The administration’s wish list also includes extending the National Flood Insurance Program until Sept. 30, 2020, and an additional $5.9 billion for the census.

Tags Appropriations Budget Immigration Steny Hoyer