Update:
He was bluffing.
JUST IN: Pres. Trump expected to sign $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, after issuing a surprise veto threat earlier, administration officials tell @ABC.
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 23, 2018
Earlier:
To be clear, you wouldn’t think Trump would be inclined to make good on his threat (delivered via Twitter, of course) to veto the $1.3 trillion spending plan the Senate passed early Friday, presumably averting a government shutdown, but hell you never know.
Here’s the tweet:
I am considering a VETO of the Omnibus Spending Bill based on the fact that the 800,000 plus DACA recipients have been totally abandoned by the Democrats (not even mentioned in Bill) and the BORDER WALL, which is desperately needed for our National Defense, is not fully funded.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2018
This is pretty clearly a vacuous bluff that allows him to claim he’s looking out for DACA recipients, but it’s worth noting that it’s yet another example of him making his subordinates look incredibly misinformed and/or perpetuating the notion that he is a completely unreliable partner when it comes to legislating.
Have a look at this video of White House budget director Mick Mulvaney “cutting right to the chase”:
Ok? And see even if Trump’s tweet was meant solely to give himself an out when someone later accuses him of not caring about DACA, he seems characteristically unaware of the consequences of saying something like that in public.
Now, folks who are opposed to the bill have ammunition. Cue Bob Corker (who called the bill “generational theft”), for instance:
Please do, Mr. President. I am just down the street and will bring you a pen. The spending levels without any offsets are grotesque, throwing all of our children under the bus. Totally irresponsible. https://t.co/np7BmP1AkB
— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) March 23, 2018
And then Meadows:
The @freedomcaucus would fully support you in this move, Mr. President. Let's pass a short term CR while you negotiate a better deal for the forgotten men and women of America. https://t.co/Dj05V8hevl
— Mark Meadows (@MarkMeadows) March 23, 2018
And of course:
I agree @realDonaldTrump should veto this sad excuse for legislation because it’s $1.3 trillion in spending that (almost) no one read. https://t.co/8aOSAOIESY
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 23, 2018
See what I’m saying? He opens up a can of worms when he inexplicably goes rogue early in the morning.
Again, maybe this is some kind of brilliant political gambit or maybe he’s trying to rally support for something that pacifies lawmakers who oppose the bill, but somehow I doubt it.
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