President Donald Trump on Thursday raised objections to a spending plan overwhelmingly approved earlier this week by the Senate, labeling the bill 'ridiculous' for delaying final Congressional action on money for the President's border wall until after the mid-term elections, as he again accused Democrats of blocking extra money for border security.
The bill would fully fund the 2019 spending plans for the Pentagon, health, education, and labor programs in the federal government, while setting a series of other items - like money for the border wall - on a temporary funding plan through December 7.
Mr. Trump's comments on Twitter came as he evidently was watching morning news programs from the White House, as the President quoted Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), one of the seven Senators who voted against the spending measure on Tuesday.
Perdue had appeared on one of the President's favorite shows, "Fox and Friends."
GOP leaders in Congress designed the package in hopes of avoiding a government shutdown just before the elections, combining the stopgap funding plan with $720 billion for the military, an increase of $17 billion from 2018.
But the plan did not contain final funding provisions for the President on the border wall, drawing Mr. Trump's ire, though the bill does continue existing funding in the 2018 budget.
The House is scheduled to vote on the bill next week; action must be taken by the end of the month, to avoid a lapse in funding, and a partial government shutdown at the start of the new fiscal year.
Congress would then have to forge a final deal on funding for the wall and other items after the elections.
The President's twitter complaints about the funding bill came as Mr. Trump prepared to go back on the campaign trail for the first time in two weeks.
Preparation work for Hurricane Florence last week forced Mr. Trump to postpone two rallies; the President will be back on the campaign trail tonight with a rally in Las Vegas. He also has a rally scheduled on Friday in Springfield, Missouri.
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