Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin answers questions during the daily press briefing at the White House as press secretary Sean Spicer looks on. Trump showed even more flexibility Monday afternoon, telling conservative journalists in a private meeting that he was open to delaying funding for wall construction until September, a White House official confirmed. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he was “very confident” that an agreement would be reached by Friday, but he pointedly said he could not “guarantee” that a government closure would be averted. Republicans were working to define Trump’s campaign promise down, arguing that any form of border security would fulfill it. One hundred percent.”Asked if he would sign a bill without wall funding, Trump told the news service, “I just don’t know yet.”The debate over wall funding is just one of several moving pieces congressional leaders are trying to address this week to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Source: Washington Post April 25, 2017 00:22 UTC