Republican and Democrats said they reached “an agreement in principle” on legislation to fund the government past the Friday deadline and avert another shutdown. The proposal would fund all seven remaining appropriations bills, includes $1.375 billion in funding for physical barriers — in the form of 55 miles of bollard fencing — and a reduction in overall Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention beds from the current 49,057 level to 40,520.
However, it is unclear if President Trump will support the budget agreement, which was revealed minutes before he held a rally in the Texas border city of El Paso to decry illegal immigration and tout his hardline immigration agenda.
Asked if the White House supported the deal, Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama told reporters, “We hope so. We think so.” Two senior administration officials said the White House was waiting for the details of the congressional agreement in principle, and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has become a key White House ally, suggested the president may not support the deal.
