• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

3

Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees

1

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

2

Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers

3

Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
Politics

Trump Won’t Sign Senate Spending Bill as Shutdown Deadline Nears

By
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 20, 2018, 12:20 PM ET

Donald Trump will refuse to sign the Senate’s version of a stopgap spending bill that would avert a partial government shutdown because it doesn’t include funds he’s demanded for border security, House Speaker Paul Ryan said after a White House meeting with the president.

“We want to see an agreement that protects the border,” Ryan told reporters Thursday. “We’re going to go back and work on adding border security to this.”

The visit by Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy was hastily scheduled after conservative House Republicans revolted and insisted they wouldn’t vote for the Senate’s temporary spending bill because it lacks money for a wall at the border with Mexico. The House GOP is set to lose its majority to the Democrats in two weeks.

The GOP-controlled Senate easily passed the stopgap measure by voice vote late Wednesday. A number of senators appeared to have left town on Thursday.

Stocks turned sharply lower as the threat of a shutdown increased a day after the Federal Reserve sent shock waves across assets. The S&P 500 tumbled to a 15-month low, and the Nasdaq Composite index slumped to the brink of a bear market. The large-cap measure is down 10 percent in December, on track for its worst month of the record bull run.

‘Still Time’

Without an agreement to fund the government by midnight Friday, nine departments including Homeland Security will close just before the Christmas holiday.

McCarthy said “we believe there is still time” for lawmakers to iron out differences over Trump’s demand for additional funding for border security.

The president previously said he would be “proud” to shut down the government if he doesn’t get the money. McCarthy said that if the House passed a bill with border funds and the Senate stripped the money back out, “the president wouldn’t sign it.”

Third-ranking House Republican Steve Scalise said the House will add $5 billion wall funding and federal disaster aid sought by some lawmakers to the Senate bill that would keep the government open through Feb. 8.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an email after the meeting that the Republicans who met with the president “all feel strongly about border security” and added, “We urgently need funding for border security and that includes a wall.”

‘Not Good!’

Earlier Thursday, a Twitter posting by Trump deepened doubts about the stopgap bill’s fate.

“When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership,” Trump wrote. “Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didn’t happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries – but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said regarding the president, “It would be his responsibility for a Christmas shutdown and every single American would know it.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California has contended the House GOP doesn’t have the votes to pass a bill with border wall funds. “We’re right in the middle of a sort of meltdown on the part of Republicans,” she told reporters at a news conference Thursday. Democrats will take the House majority in January.

Ryan and his leadership team had begun the day planning to hold floor votes on the Senate’s spending package. But Ryan came under heavy criticism from conservatives during a private party meeting and then was called out to speak to Trump on the phone, several lawmakers said.

Ryan—who has been busy giving a series of farewell speeches in recent weeks as he plans to leave office—canceled a scheduled press conference before he and other House GOP leaders were summoned to the White House.

‘Worth Fighting For’

Representative Steve Womack, an Arkansas Republican, said members are tired of leaders making all the decisions without consulting them.

“There’s a lot of people that believe we’ve got unfinished business that’s worth fighting for,” he said. “We promised border security.”

Conservative Austin Scott, a Georgia Republican, who has sided with leadership in the past, said he agreed.

“We need disaster relief and we need to secure our border. I am a definitely a ‘no’” on the Senate bill without the border funds, Scott said.

Ryan also is being squeezed by moderate Republicans including Florida Representatives Carlos Curbelo, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Tom Rooney, who are seeking federal disaster aid.

Democrats would be in control of the House when the temporary funding expired, giving Trump less leverage in his demand for the $5 billion. Trump had said he would hold up Democratic priorities like an infrastructure package next year to try to get the wall, but conservatives said the best time to fight is while Republicans still have the majority.

“There is no way this gets any better next year,” said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows of North Carolina. “Now is the time to fight.”

About the Author
By Bloomberg
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

trump
North AmericaWhite House
4 ways Trump is following the Venezuela playbook with Cuba, and one where he isn’t
By Ben Finley, Matthew Lee, Farnoush Amiri, Konstantin Toropin and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
2 minutes ago
fda
BankingTobacco
FDA’s tobacco center just drafted new rules to let ecigs, pouches onto market, but staffers didn’t write them
By Matthew Perrone and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
4 minutes ago
w
BankingFederal Reserve
Trump on new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh: ‘Do your own thing’ but don’t lose your way like Jerome Powell did
By Will Weissert, Michelle L. Price and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
8 minutes ago
rabb
PoliticsElections
How a ‘proud troublemaker’ Democratic socialist beat the system in Philadelphia by 15 points
By Marc Levy and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
11 minutes ago
SpaceX’s third-generation Starship, which NASA may use to put astronauts on the moon, makes debut in test flight ahead of blockbuster IPO
InnovationSpaceX
SpaceX’s third-generation Starship, which NASA may use to put astronauts on the moon, makes debut in test flight ahead of blockbuster IPO
By Marcia Dunn and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
31 minutes ago
Trump to force foreigners to apply for a green card abroad—but those who provide ‘economic benefit’ or serve ‘national interest’ may be able to stay
PoliticsImmigration
Trump to force foreigners to apply for a green card abroad—but those who provide ‘economic benefit’ or serve ‘national interest’ may be able to stay
By Rebecca Santana, Gisela Salomon and The Associated PressMay 23, 2026
45 minutes ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
2 days ago
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
Success
Indeed chief economist says we’re entering an era of ‘great mismatch’ thanks to a generational imbalance of workers
By Emma BurleighMay 22, 2026
23 hours ago
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
AI
Microsoft reports are exposing AI's real cost problem: Using the tech is more expensive than paying human employees
By Jake AngeloMay 22, 2026
22 hours ago
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
Success
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
3 days ago
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
Success
Apple’s Steve Wozniak says he cofounded the tech giant after 5 rejections from HP—not to ‘make money.’ For years, his paycheck was just $50
By Preston ForeMay 22, 2026
1 day ago
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.