GOP congressional leaders are likely to put a hold on funding for President Donald Trump's signature southern border wall to avoid complications in negotiations to fund the government, The Hill reported.
Sen. Roy Blunt, a member of the Appropriations Committee, said at a news conference Tuesday the border wall funding will be put off until later in the year, The Hill reported.
"All of the committees, the leaderships of the House and Senate, are working together to try to finalize the rest of the [fiscal year 2017] bill," he said, The Hill reported. "My guess is that comes together better without the supplemental."
Trump had requested a supplemental spending bill to pay for military activities and the U.S-Mexico border wall, but it could make it harder to come to an agreement on the government funding legislation, Blunt said, according to The Hill.
"We have the FY17 defense bill," Blunt said, noting it's the top priority of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and could be used as a vehicle to pass bills funding other federal departments, The Hill reported.
The Government Accountability Office has estimated the border wall would cost about $6.5 million a mile.
Funding to run the government expires April 28.
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