Trump Drops Border Wall Funding Demand as Shutdown Threat Looms, Reports Say

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump may be backing off on his demand for border wall funding in a short-term spending bill as Congress returns with just four days to avert a government shutdown, multiple news outlets are reporting.Though White House officials had floated the idea of a deal with Democrats over border wall funding in exchange for continuing Obamacare insurance subsidies, the president is reportedly now open to pursuing construction funding in the fall.The shift in demand neutralizes what was poised to be a sticking point in negotiations over a short-term spending bill, with Democrats balking over the border wall request and Republicans loath to risk a shutdown when the GOP controls both Congress and the White House.Congress has until Friday to pass a spending bill to keep the government funded through the fall.Last week, budget director Mick Mulvaney floated a “dollar for dollar” swap on funding for the border wall in exchange for what’s called cost sharing reduction subsidies to insurers -- funds that help reduce health care costs for some of the country’s poorest covered by Obamacare. A Republican-led House sued former President Barack Obama in recent years for making the payments to insurers, arguing it hadn’t been first approved by Congress.  Continue reading...