Faced with a looming government shutdown, President Trump is softening his stance on funding for his border wall. Both Democrats and fiscal conservatives have vowed to fight the President’s demands for funds to start construction on the proposed wall along the US border with Mexico. Trump had demanded $1.5 billion to begin construction on the wall.

On Monday, White House officials seemed to walk back their tough talk on the wall, in an attempt to ensure that a new spending bill would be passed by Friday’s midnight deadline. In an off-the-record conversation with around 20 conservative reporters, the President said that he would be willing to push the issue off until September if it meant keeping the government operational. Meanwhile, others in the White House signaled that the President may request funding for more border agents and technology, as opposed to a physical barrier.

The increase in border security, as opposed to an actual wall, is something that has received bipartisan support. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer advocated for the use of technology including drones to secure the border, while Republican Lindsey Graham put his foot down on the actual wall:

“There will never be a 2,200-mile wall built, period. I think it’s become symbolic of better border security. It’s a code word for better border security. If you make it about actually building a 2,200-mile wall, that’s a bridge too far — but I’m mixing my metaphors.”

Without a nearly $1 trillion spending bill that covers all government agencies, portions of the government would be forced to shut down on Saturday, which also happens to be Trump’s 100th day in office. The border wall and funding portions of the Affordable Care Act were seen as the two main sticking points of the legislation. However, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle believe a deal is going to be made.

Republican Senator Roy Blunt told reporters:

“I’m optimistic. I don’t think anybody wants a shutdown. The White House and basically the minority leaders of the House and Senate have to have some level of agreement on the things that you’re adding.”

Sen. Schumer echoed those sentiments:

“It’s good for the country that President Trump is taking the wall off the table in these negotiations. Now the bipartisan and bicameral negotiators can continue working on the outstanding issues.”

Of course, the President has denied that he is backing down from the wall’s construction. He turned to his favorite outlet, Twitter, to offer three tweets regarding the barrier:

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR