House expected to vote on border deal Thursday evening

The bipartisan border deal struck by top appropriators in both chambers is slated to come to the House floor for a vote on Thursday evening, though the final time is still to be determined.

The agreement provides $1.375 billion to build 55 miles for a barrier along the southern border, the amount included in the fiscal 2018 bill.

{mosads}The legislation — which is needed to avert a second partial government shutdown ahead of Friday’s deadline — is expected to narrowly pass the lower chamber.

President Trump’s surrogates have given indications that he will sign off on the bill to keep the government open and secure wall funding through other means to build his long-desired wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. 

“I think they lose 40-50 votes,” one GOP lawmaker told The Hill. 

The deal received mixed reviews from the House Republican conference. 

“It’s a good deal; it’s not a great deal. It would be a great deal if I was the only one making decisions but there are four of us,” House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Kay Granger (R-Texas), one of the key negotiators on the deal, said with a laugh on Wednesday. “And there’s a lot of give and take on something like that.” 

Granger told The Hill it’s “the first year of a multiyear plan to do the wall,” adding the president is “going to find the rest of the money for his wall” using other tactics.

Conservatives have balked at the agreement for falling far below the $5.7 billion requested by the administration to build a wall along the southern border.

“Only in Washington, DC can we start out with needing $25 billion for border security measures and expect applause when we come up with $1.37 billion,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) tweeted Wednesday morning. “Once again, Congress is not doing its job.”

Despite concern within the administration that the president would not support the deal due to pressure from conservative pundits and lawmakers, he is expected to sign the legislation.