Donald Trump is “prepared to sign the bill” keeping the government open, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Thursday afternoon. But “He will also be issuing a national emergency declaration at the same time” to get his border wall built, since Congress won’t give him the money he wants.
Signs had been that Trump would sign the bipartisan deal to fund the government rather than shutting it down for a second time in two months, but as the final decision approached and right-wing pundits like Laura Ingraham panned the deal, White House sources told CNN that Trump had become concerned. Signing the bill and declaring a national emergency gives Trump a way to avoid a shutdown while also avoiding the wrath of the right-wing pundits who rule his world.
A national emergency is all but guaranteed to face court challenges. Additionally, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can force a vote on ending the national emergency. While such a resolution is unlikely to get through the Senate, let alone past a Trump veto, it would get individual Republicans on the record about what’s likely to be a very unpopular decision by a very unpopular president.