Washington • Congressional negotiators announced an agreement late Monday to prevent a government shutdown and finance construction of new barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, overcoming a late-stage hang-up over immigration enforcement issues that had threatened to scuttle the talks.
Republicans were desperate to avoid another bruising shutdown. They tentatively agreed to far less money for President Donald Trump’s border wall than the White House’s $5.7 billion wish, settling for a figure of about $1.4 billion, according to a senior congressional aide.
“We reached an agreement in principle,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala.