Trump will sign spending bill and declare a national emergency, Mitch McConnell says

On Wednesday, Trump said he would look at the congressional border security legislation when it comes, then "make a determination abo...

On Wednesday, Trump said he would look at the congressional border security legislation when it comes, then "make a determination about whether to sign it." The president will "look for landmines" in terms of provisions he dislikes, he added.

"I don't want to see a shutdown. A shutdown would be a terrible thing," he said.

Both Republicans and Democrats showed concerns about the spending plan, but congressional leaders from both parties backed it. The measure would put about $1.4 billion toward physical border barriers. But it would specifically not allow construction of new wall prototypes proposed by Trump.

Senate Republicans looked eager to avoid the second partial government shutdown since December. Without a new spending plan, funding for nine U.S. departments will lapse at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday.

"It's time to get this done," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said earlier Wednesday.

Despite Congress' latest blow to his border wall plans, Trump insists that he will build the structure regardless. He argues he has the authority to allocate funds from other parts of the government to construct it.

He also said he will still consider declaring a national emergency to circumvent Congress.

"The bottom line is on the wall we're building the wall and we're using other methods other than this and in addition to this," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

Funding for about a quarter of the government lapsed for 35 days during December and January. About 800,000 federal employees, furloughed or working without pay, missed two paychecks during the closure. Another shutdown threatens more financial hardship for those workers.

Trump's demand for $5.7 billion to construct the wall, and Democrats' refusal to yield to him, led to the earlier shutdown. In December, Trump said he would "take the mantle" for the shutdown. Most Americans eventually did blame him for it, according to polls.