(CNSNews.com) - The FY 2017 omnibus spending bill does not defund Planned Parenthood, cut federal funds for sanctuary cities or fund the wall on the U.S.-Mexican border - all things President Donald Trump pledged to conservatives that he would do. Even still, the White House said, the president “got a lot” out of the bill.
“I think the president got a lot out of this bill, most specifically $21 billion to help build the military. I think that is something that he was very proud to campaign on and is delivering on. That’s probably the biggest thing,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Monday.
“ With respect to border security, he got $1.52 billion into the current language that’s posted. I think that’s a significant-- and remember I think people have to keep in context,” he said.
What’s more, the press secretary said, 2017 funding is something that should have already been in place during the Obama administration, so the president’s been able to get some of his priorities in the bill, which funds the last five months of Fiscal Year 2017 through the end of September.
“We’re talking about 2017 funding, right? So this is something that most presidents would walk into office, and that would have been done. Because the last Congress didn’t do this under President Obama, we have an opportunity to get some of the president’s priorities infused to the last five months of 2017. That’s a big step forward and something he’ll continue to fight for in 2018,” Spicer said.
“When the fiscal year starts the end of September, we will have an opportunity to really infuse the president’s priorities, but I think there’s a lot of there,” Spicer said. “D.C. School Choice was something that we felt very strongly about making sure was back in. There’s no Obamacare bailout.
Taking care of the coal miners was something the president felt strongly about doing, Spicer said. “That happened, so there’s a lot in this bill that I think-- of the priorities that he put forward on.”
“But clearly you had to give up on some things,” a reporter said.
“I mean I think on the Planned Parenthood thing in particular-- but again, remember, this is 2017 funding,” Spicer said. “This is something he normally wouldn’t even have had a shot at, because it should have been done, so infusing his priorities in the 2017 budget cycle is actually something that he’s been able to have a say in, which is a big deal for the remaining five months.
“The 2018 budget will address those things, but this is a down payment on border security. It’s a down payment on his ability to rebuild the military, and repealing and replacing Obamacare will address a lot of the other health care issues,” Spicer added.
As CNSNews.com reported, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a member of the Freedom Caucus, told CNN’s “New Day” that the Republicans should have “fought now” for the funding priorities that they told voters they would pursue, not wait until the next fiscal year.