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Trump Says He Is Unhappy With Shutdown Deal But Will Consider It

Trump Says He Is Unhappy With Shutdown Deal But Will Consider It

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he isn’t happy with the deal on border-security funding Republican and Democratic negotiators worked out to avert another government shutdown, but he said he would hold a meeting later Tuesday to consider the compromise.

“I don’t think you’re going to see a shutdown,” Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, but added Democrats should bear the blame if the government closes again

“I can’t say I’m happy, I can’t say I’m thrilled,” Trump said of the compromise. “It’s really obstruction” by Democratic lawmakers, he said.

He said the tentative agreement is “not doing the trick” but that he may add to it.

The tentative pact reached Monday night provides $1.375 billion for 55 new miles of border fencing in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley area, according to congressional aides who spoke on condition of anonymity. That’s far short of the $5.7 billion Trump wants for a wall. But the agreement also rejects limits Democrats sought on detentions of immigrants apprehended in the U.S.

It still has to be written into legislation, pass both chambers of Congress and get Trump’s approval before Friday night to avoid a partial government shutdown.

To contact the reporter on this story: Margaret Talev in Washington at mtalev@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Mike Dorning, Joshua Gallu

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