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Speaker Says Trump Willing to Be ‘Patient’ for Wall Funding

‘It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when,’ Paul Ryan says

Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., conducts his last news conference before the House left for the August recess on Thursday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., conducts his last news conference before the House left for the August recess on Thursday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Speaker Paul D. Ryan suggested Thursday that President Donald Trump is willing to wait until after September to secure more funding for his border wall.

“We think we have a unified strategy to make sure we can get as many appropriations bills done as possible,” the Wisconsin Republican said following a meeting he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky had with Trump at the White House on Wednesday.

The House leader said he is hopeful that some of the 12 appropriations bills can be enacted into law before Oct. 1, the start of fiscal year 2019. But he acknowledged “there will be some bills that won’t be ready or done by then and we’ll have to have a CR [continuing resolution] to bridge us over until later on.”

That continuing resolution is expected to include the Homeland Security Department appropriations measure that would include the border wall funding.

“It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when,” Ryan said of the wall funding. “The president is willing to be patient.”

Ryan said he feels “very good” that Republican leaders in the House, Senate and administration are on the same page on the appropriations strategy, which includes funding the military on time.

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