Trump ‘unhappy’ with wall funding but does not think government will shutdown again

Republicans are calling the deal a win, while Democrats say they offered the same funding levels in December

Donald Trump says that he is not "thrilled" with the government funding deal negotiated in Congress, but that he does not want there will be another shutdown this week.

The tentative deal reached after tense negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in recent weeks falls short of the $5.7bn (£4.4bn) in border wall funding the president has demanded, but Mr Trump says that barrier will be constructed one way or another.

“I can't say I'm happy. I can't say I'm thrilled,” Mr Trump said on Tuesday. But either way “the wall's getting built”.

Mr Trump noted that "everything" is on the table, and said that "we certainly don't want to see a shutdown".

The deal — which the president did not explicity promise to sign — has been touted by Republicans as a victory over Democrats, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader noting the new deal allows for 55 miles (89km). But, with congressional aides indicating the tentative deal includes just $1.4bn (£1.1bn), it has been noted that the deal is essentially what Democrats offered in December before the recent 35-day shutdown that ended with little sign of gains for the president.

“You've got to remember where Nancy Pelosi was. She has said, 'No money for a wall'. That's not the case,” Mr McCarthy said. “The Democrats have now agreed to more than 55 miles of new barrier".

The new deal would keep the government funded through the end of the fiscal year, and combines seven major spending bills into one.

That spending includes money for 55 miles of border fencing, which will be constructed using existing steel slat designs instead of the cement walls originally promised by the president.

Exact details of the spending measure may not be released until Wednesday, but the announcement that an agreement may have been made has served to alleviate concerns that another damaging shutdown is on the way. The previous shutdown that concluded last month left hundreds of thousands of government employees without two pay cheques, and forced many to work second jobs in addition to their government jobs.

The deal appears set to provide funding for the same number of immigrant detention beds as previously allotted, even though Democrats attempted to curb that number.

Sandra Cordero, the director of the immigrant rigts group Families Together, decried those elements of the deal in a statement.

“Americans want clear, common sense immigration policies that reflect our nation’s family values. This compromise will have the opposite impact by funneling more money to agencies that ripped thousands of children from their parents’ arms. Funding for detention will allow these agencies to continue separating families who come to our border seeking asylum – and harm all of our communities by tearing more families apart within the US", Ms Cordero said.

She continued: “Our leaders need to stand up for American values, not throw millions of children and families under the bus for the sake of partisan deal making. Real leadership on immigration means solutions that will protect families".