Wednesday was a triumphant day for the Trump administration.
Congress finalized a massive $1.3 trillion budget that pumps money into the military and leaves Dreamers in the lurch.
“Democrats refused to take care of DACA. Would have been so easy, but they just didn’t care. I had to fight for Military and start of Wall,” President Trump tweeted.
However, the bill isn’t perfect. Democrats managed to carve out a few provisions for themselves.
Immigration advocates won’t be happy that Trump’s plan to hire hundreds of new federal immigration officers has been squashed. And although the White House has finally secured funding for the border wall, Congress agreed to give Trump less than he expected.
The administration can use $1.6 billion to erect the wall, but only a portion of the money can be used to build new structures. The rest has to go toward repair efforts.
The president complained about “dem giveaways” in a flurry of tweets posted after the budget deal was finalized.
Democrats are angry they didn’t get everything they wanted.
“We are disappointed that we did not reach agreement on Dreamer protections that were worthy of these patriotic young people,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi complained.
Democrats had multiple opportunities to protect the Dreamers but they squandered them.
Legislators have been working for days hammering out the bill’s details.
“No bill of this size is perfect,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said. “But this legislation addresses important priorities and makes us stronger at home and abroad.”
Both parties support the $4.6 billion fund created to combat the opioid crisis. A measure intended to bolster school safety also garnered bipartisan support.
President Trump has been an incredibly effective president. His campaign promises are turning into reality. The border wall is important to a lot of Trump supporters and it’s finally going to be constructed.
(Source: New York Post, AP News)