Just weeks after Donald Trump threatened to veto, and then signed, a massive spending bill, the president is reportedly scrambling to undo its effects. The new developments follow massive blowback from his base of loyal supporters, who allege the $1.3 trillion spending bill advances too many liberal projects and, most notably, does not allow for the building of the president’s much touted border wall.
Aides from the House and Senate tell Mike Allen of Axios that Trump is looking to rescind possibly tens of billions of dollars the bill allocated. “It’s unlikely Congress would be able to pass a $60 billion rescission,” one aide said, noting that the G.O.P. would likely be cautious. “A smaller rescission is possible.”
Democrats pounced on the turn-around, accusing the White House and G.O.P. leaders of panicking over criticism from conservative news outlets. Trump was reportedly shocked at the vitriol his spending bill fostered, with much of it coming from usually friendly outlets like Fox News. His base is furious, mainly about the president dragging his feet when it comes to funding the border wall, with even Fox’s Sean Hannity letting his disappointment show in his opening monologue a few weeks ago. “I personally wish the president vetoed this bill, made them stay in Washington. Make them keep their promises,” Hannity said. “What happened to the Republican Party? Whatever happened to the party that believed in fiscal responsibility?”
One uncomfortable coda to the melodrama: it’s not entirely clear that the president had any idea what was in the omnibus package. (Axios reports that “Trump had little clue what was in the largest spending bill ever passed.”)
“There are a lot of things I’m unhappy about in this bill,” Trump himself said on March 23. “But I say to Congress, I will never sign another bill like this again. I’m not going to do it again. Nobody read it. It’s only hours old.”
Trump’s attempted compromise last month—a deal that would extend DACA in exchange for funding for the border wall—was met with silence from both Republicans and Democrats, neither of whom have much incentive to contort their agendas to turn the president’s rallying cry into a reality. Both parties also realize that Trump won’t let the issue of immigration reform fade into the background, even as it looks less likely that anything will be done in the next nine months, given the massive failure to cut a deal earlier this year.
That said, rumors persist that top aides—including White House Chief of Staff John Kelly—are gravely concerned with the president’s current state of mind. Kelly, per Axios, threatened to quit on March 28. With staffers reportedly eyeing the exits and concerned about the likelihood that their own reputations can survive a newly emboldened Trump, and the president furious that the spending bill is turning allies against him, storm clouds seem to once again be gathering over the White House.
