CONGRESS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TWITTER/WALL: “President Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill into law on Friday [3-23-18], avoiding a government shutdown that had suddenly become a possibility when the president vented angrily on Twitter about his frustration with the bipartisan legislation.
The president abruptly backed down from his threat to veto the spending bill in a head-spinning four hours at the White House that left both political parties in Washington reeling and his own aides bewildered about Mr. Trump’s contradictory actions.
Speaking at the White House, Mr. Trump placed his hand on a stack of budget documents and criticized what he called ‘this ridiculous situation’ — but he said the spending plan was important because it increases money for the military. ‘As a matter of national security I have signed this omnibus budget bill,’ he said
But early Friday morning, the president had tweeted his displeasure with the bill, citing Congress’s failure to fund his long-promised border wall.”
–Julie Hirschfeld and Michael D. Shear, “Trump Signs Spending Bill, Reversing Veto Threat and Avoiding Government Shutdown,” The New York Times online, Mar. 23, 2018