WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed an $854 billion spending bill to keep the federal government open through Dec. 7, averting a government shutdown in the weeks leading up to the November midterm elections.
That’s according to a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the action.
Trump signed the legislation to fund the military and several civilian agencies without journalists present at the White House. The president is acting after the House and Senate approved the spending plan earlier this week.
Trump’s signature avoids a shutdown before the Nov. 6 elections that will determine control of Congress. But he has expressed frustration that the bill doesn’t pay for his long-stalled wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
