President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that he is considering a veto for the omnibus spending bill because it does not address the 800,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) recipients or adequately fund border security.
"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," Trump tweeted.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/977166887493799936
Trump's tweet is contrary to what administration officials said. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said on Thursday that Trump would sign the spending bill because "it funds his priorities."
Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill that would fund the government through September.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and her fellow Democrats overall supported the omnibus bill. In a floor speech, she countered Trump's claim that the bill is a victory for his proposed border wall.
"That's not completely true, Mr. President," Pelosi said. "There's some resources for fencing and the rest there. But some of that money is for technology and other ways to protect our borders... But if you want to think you're getting a wall, you just think it and sign the bill."
Meanwhile, fiscal conservatives like Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) lambasted Republican lawmakers for overspending in the proposed $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, arguing that border security is "the one thing" that the legislation does not fund.
"The one thing we don't fund is the one issue we all campaigned on, a border security wall, and that is not in the legislation," he said.
The Washington Free Beacon reported that Congress voted to give itself a bonus along with spending increases for a variety of programs.
The omnibus also boosts funding for health research, including a $3 billion increase to the ever-growing budget of the National Institutes of Health.
Health care spending in the omnibus includes $4 million to combat "excessive alcohol use" through a CDC prevention and health promotion program.
Another $15 million goes to study "high obesity counties" and an increase of $5 million for the CDC program that seeks to "address obesity in counties" by leveraging "the community extension services provided by land grant universities who are mandated to translate science into practical action and promote healthy lifestyles."
The bill also spends $2.05 million to prevent "elderly falls" and $8 million in the form of "breastfeeding grants."