Washington DC, Mar 21 (EFE).- The president of the United States on Wednesday said he had secured funds for construction of the border wall with Mexico.
The Democrats and the Republicans had earlier on Wednesday approved a $1.3 trillion budget bill which, in addition to funds for the wall, includes an increase in defense spending.
“Got $1.6 billion to start Wall on Southern Border, rest will be forthcoming,” Donald Trump wrote on Twitter.
The president had asked for $25 billion in long-term funding for the wall.
The final agreement allocates $1.571 billion exclusively for new or replacement fencing and barrier technology.
The president also referred to the “dreamers”, undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children who were protected from deportation under an Obama-era policy, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Those immigrants find themselves at risk of deportation after Trump withdrew DACA last year.
Their future, which was not mentioned in the budget deal, has been the subject of long-running bipartisan negotiations.
“Democrats refused to take care of DACA. Would have been so easy, but they just didn’t care. I had to fight for Military and start of Wall,” Trump said in another tweet.
The Democrats had so far refused to approve any funds for the wall without a guarantee that the so-called “dreamers” would be protected.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was satisfied with the agreement, despite the concessions.
“Every bill takes compromise, and there was plenty here, but at the end of the day, we Democrats feel very good because so many of our priorities for the middle class were included,” the Democratic leader said in a statement.
Trump, on the other hand, lamented having “had to waste money on Dem (Democrat) giveaways in order to take care of military pay increase and new equipment.”