Senate GOP focused on averting government shutdown, likely delaying fight over border wall funding

Senate Republicans signaled Tuesday that the fight over funding for a border wall will be put on hold until after they hammer out an agreement to avert a government shutdown next month.

Looking to give President Trump time to settle into the job and fill out his cabinet, Congress passed a short-term funding bill in December to keep the government open through April 28.

Sen. Roy Blunt, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told reporters Tuesday on Capitol Hill that he believes the top priority of lawmakers is finalizing a funding bill that fills out spending for the rest of the fiscal year, which runs through Sept. 30.

“My guess is that comes together without the supplemental,” Mr. Blunt told reporters Tuesday at a press conference with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The Trump administration sent Congress a “supplemental” spending request for the current fiscal year this month that sought an additional $30 million in war funding and $3 billion to bolster border security and to plan and construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“I’d say that job is very close to potentially having a full-year update and then deal with the supplemental at a later time,” Mr. Blunt said.