House Democrats to unveil spending plan to end shutdown

Dec. 31 (UPI) -- House Democrats plan to unveil a stopgap spending bill Monday that would fund most of the government for the rest of the fiscal year -- but would provide only a fraction of what President Donald Trump wants to pay for a border wall, news reports said.

The bill would fund six government departments currently furloughed since the shutdown went into effect Dec. 21. The Department of Homeland Security, though, would receive its existing $1.3 billion for border security, short of the $5 billion Trump asked for, unnamed Democratic aides told The Washington Post.

Among the shuttered departments to receive funding under the legislation are the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce and Justice.

Democratic aides told The New York Times and USA Today Democrats plan to vote on the bill when the new session of Congress opens Thursday, the first day the party takes control of the lower chamber.

The Democrats' proposed plan is similar to legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Senate earlier this year. Trump declined to sign the spending bill because it didn't include the billions he requested to partially fund the wall.

Trump said earlier this month a full border wall, if it's built, would cost between $15 billion and $20 billion, though he once estimated it could cost as much as $25 billion. He initially promised Mexico would pay for the wall, but recently said the cost would be offset by a new trade agreement with the southern neighbor.

Though the new Democratic-controlled House is expected to pass the planned legislation, it's unclear whether the Republican-controlled Senate has enough votes to send it to Trump's desk -- and it if did, whether the president would even consider it.

"It's simple," said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "The Senate is not going to send something to the president that he won't sign."

On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., proposed a compromise solution in which Trump would get the $5 billion he wants in exchange for a three-year, one-time renewable work permit for about 70,000 people under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

"At the end of the day, there's a deal to be had," he said during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union. "We need to start talking again."