Advertisement

Donald Trump boasts of securing $1.6 billion to start border wall and huge boost for military in US Budget bill

Donald Trump hailed the $700 billion allocated to the military in the Budget: REUTERS
Donald Trump hailed the $700 billion allocated to the military in the Budget: REUTERS

Donald Trump has boasted about securing $1.6 billion in the US budget bill to begin work on his controversial wall on the Mexico border.

“Got $1.6 Billion to start Wall on Southern Border, rest will be forthcoming,” the president tweeted.

It came after Congressional leaders finalised a sweeping 1.3 trillion dollars (£917 billion) budget bill on Wednesday that substantially boosts military and domestic spending in the US.

“Most importantly, got $700 Billion to rebuild our Military, $716 Billion next year...most ever,” wrote Mr Trump. “Had to waste money on Dem giveaways in order to take care of military pay increase and new equipment.”

Negotiators have been working for days - and nights - on details of the bill, which is widely viewed as the last major piece of legislation likely to move through Congress in this election year. Politicians in both parties sought to attach their top priorities.

Two of the biggest remaining issues had been border wall funds and a legislative response to gun violence after the clamour for action following recent school shootings, including the one in Parkland, Florida.

On guns, leaders agreed to tuck in bipartisan provisions to bolster school safety funds and improve compliance with the criminal background check system for firearm purchases.

The bill states that the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention can do research on gun violence, though not advocacy, an idea Democrats pushed.

But there was no resolution for Dreamers, the young immigrants who have been living in the US illegally since childhood, but whose deportation protections are being challenged in court after Mr Trump tried to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme.

"We are disappointed that we did not reach agreement on Dreamer protections that were worthy of these patriotic young people," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

The core purpose of the bill is to increase spending for military and domestic programmes that have been sharply squeezed under a 2011 agreement that was supposed to cap spending.

It gives Mr Trump a huge budget increase for the military, while Democrats scored wins on infrastructure and other domestic programmes that they failed to get under president Barack Obama.