Donald Trump has endorsed a spending deal negotiated by US Senate Republicans and Democrats that would stave off a government shutdown and temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security.
The move comes as the US reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.
“Republicans and Democrats have come together to get the vast majority of the government funded until September” while extending current funding for Homeland Security, Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday evening.
He said he hoped members of both parties would cast a “much needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ vote”.
The two sides have agreed to separate homeland security funding from a bigger spending bill and fund the Homeland department for two weeks while they debate Democratic demands for curbs on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
The deal follows a Democrats vote to block legislation to fund the DHS on Thursday.
They have been pushing to remove funding for the DHS, of which ICE is a part, from the $1.2tn government spending package after the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Passage of the agreement was delayed late on Thursday as Senate leaders were still working to win enough support for the package.
Mr Trump earlier told his cabinet that he was optimistic of avoiding a shutdown.
The rare bipartisan talks between Mr Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer came after calls by senators in both parties for a full investigation into Mr Pretti’s killing.
The standoff has threatened to plunge the nation into another shutdown, just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over…
